


Puppy Love

by betterleftblank



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: Dogs, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Funny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-05
Updated: 2015-08-23
Packaged: 2018-04-07 20:53:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 32,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4277556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/betterleftblank/pseuds/betterleftblank
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Paige has dedicated her life to caring for sick and neglected animals. One night, a dog comes into her care that will end up changing her life in more ways than she could possibly imagine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've already got four chapters of this written and I'm hoping to have it finished by the end of the month. The plan is to update weekly. Hope you all enjoy! Feedback is always appreciated :)

Desperately needing sleep, Paige McCullers found the closest chair to her and collapsed on it. She had past tired days ago. Her whole week felt like one double shift after the other. She loved what she did, but today she longed for a nine-to-five job that didn't require her to live on caffeine and her ability to drive her body to the brink of breaking down.

It wasn't just the long hours that got to Paige. There was the emotional aspect as well. Most of the time she was able to compartmentalize and shut off her feelings, but that didn't mean she was immune to the toll that caring for sick and abused animals took on her. Some days were easier than others and some days she wanted to stay in bed and ignore the ugliness of the world that she too often saw.

"God, you look like shit."

"And hello to you too, Hanna," Paige replied, her eyes closed. She was trying to muster the energy to get up so she could head home, but had, so far, been unable to do so.

"We hurt the ones we love," Hanna said in a voice all too cheery for Paige's liking. "And because you are the very best at what you do, I love you the most."

Paige's eyes flew open. "Oh no, don't even try and suck up to me right now. I've been working for fifteen hours straight, and I am done. Did you hear me, Hanna? Done!"

"I didn't think you did anything straight," Hanna smirked. She laughed at her own joke before continuing. "You know I wouldn't ask this of you unless it was absolutely critical." Her voice changed to a tone that Paige knew all too well. It was the tone that got her to agree to things she should never agree to do. "I just got a call about a litter of puppies coming in—"

"Please don't," Paige begged.

Hanna continued, paying no attention to her friend, "They found the puppies with their mom—"

"Please, Hanna, this isn't fair."

"They were abandoned without any food or water. Nobody knows for sure how long they've been on their own—"

Paige couldn't take it anymore, it was time to admit defeat. She held up her hand and let out a big sigh. "Stop, just stop. How long until they arrive?"

"About an hour," Hanna replied, the relief was evident on her face. She didn't doubt that her friend would do the right thing, but it made her feel a lot better now that she had confirmation that Paige would stay. "You know you're my hero, right?"

"That's what keeps me going," Paige deadpanned. "Now leave me alone to nap so I can be somewhat coherent when they get here."

"I'll fire anyone that disturbs you," Hanna promised. She flashed her friend a very sincere smile before she closed the door behind her to leave Paige in peace. "You're the best!" she called out when she was on the other side of the door.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Paige muttered to herself. She had been looking forward to going home and having down time, but that was no longer in the cards. Luckily she was on good terms with her neighbor, so she sent a text asking her to check in on her two cats and give them food. When that was done, she closed her eyes again in hopes of catching a little sleep like she so desperately needed.

But sleep was nowhere to be found. Even though her body and mind were functioning on autopilot, she was suddenly wired. Her thoughts were no longer on not getting to go home; they were focusing on litter of puppies and their mother that she was soon going to be tasked with looking after.

It didn't matter how many cases she worked on or how many times she'd been told that she couldn't take things to heart, Paige's love for animals ran deep. She could never accept that there were people who treated their pets badly and could never quell the rage that she felt every time she had to take care of a neglected or abused animal. If anything, it only reinforced her desire to take care every sick animal she could personally take on.

When Paige came to work for the shelter, she knew it would be a tireless and, at times, a soul crushing job. Sometimes she'd come home after a particularly bad shift and cry until she had no more tears left. Other times she'd come home and immediately head to the basement of her house to go a couple of rounds with the punching bag she'd set up down there. She would hit that bag until she had nothing left inside of her.

No matter how bad things got or how badly her insides hurt, there was nothing that gave Paige more satisfaction than seeing one of the animals she nursed back to health get adopted. It made every bad thing she had to see feel worth it. Once her swimming aspirations had ended due to injury, Paige had known that becoming a vet was what she was going to do for the rest of her life.

It helped immensely that she was close with Hanna – her boss and defacto closest friend due to Paige's insane work schedule – because it made days like this, days where she had nothing in the tank left to give, more tolerable. When Paige would reach the edge and be close to a breakdown, Hanna was there with a joke or, after hours, copious amounts of alcohol.

The downside to being friends with her boss was that when Hanna would pry into Paige's personal life – or lack thereof – Paige had tell Hanna to mind her own damn business in a nice way. Not that Hanna paid attention to Paige's push back. She blissfully ignored her friend and attempted to set her up with any woman that she felt could be a match for Paige.

Although Hanna would never admit to this, Paige was almost positive that she visited the one lesbian bar in town to try and pick up women under the guise of doing it for her friend. It was annoying to keep having to say no to getting set up, but she did try and appreciate that Hanna was looking out for her. Even if that meant constantly having to defend her decision not to date.

Paige had almost no time for a personal life. She gave so much of herself to the animals that she looked after that she didn't see how she could give anything to a girlfriend. Hanna had pointed out that she could just get herself a "fuck buddy" as she had put it, but that was of no interest to Paige. She had tried the friends with benefit route a few years back and that had ended with the girl she was sleeping with calling Paige a "cold, aloof, workaholic who was too closed off to realize that what she was looking for was staring her right in the face."

That face had been angry and after Paige had managed to avoid getting hit in the head with a beer bottle, she had ended things immediately. Ever since then she'd avoided dating and the perils that came with inviting another person into your life.

"Fuck this," Paige said to herself. She couldn't get her mind to shut off and had no desire defend to herself her decision to stay single. She didn't have the energy or desire for introspection. Instead, she stood up and stretched her body out to get rid of the stiffness that was already taking over. Whenever she managed to get home she was going to soak in her tub for hours.

She poured herself a big mug of coffee to help prepare her for what lay ahead. Paige's nose scrunched up at how cold the coffee was. She didn't have time to make a new pot, so she was forced to warm up her drink in the microwave that resided in the staff room. She texted Hanna to inform her of this travesty.

Paige downed the much needed caffeine in two big gulps once it was done warming up. Just before she left the room she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror by the door. There were dark circles under her eyes and her hair was all messed up. Paige shrugged with indifference. The dogs she would be saving wouldn't care that she looked like she hadn't slept in a week. All they'd care about is how she was going to get them healthy again.

That was the great thing about animals, they didn't judge you like people did. OK, that wasn't exactly true, her cats did often look at her with disdain and exasperation. But they also loved her, even if they weren't exactly showy about it.

"You know," Hanna said as she joined Paige walking down the hall, "If you actually had a social life, I wouldn't also count on you like I do. Really, this is all your fault."

"You are pushing me, Han," Paige replied with an exaggerated eye roll. "I don't think you realize how close you are to ending up on my ex-friends list."

It was an empty threat and both girls knew that. "Please, like you could find anyone else to put up with your sarcastic remarks and total disregard for hygiene." Hanna laughed as she dodged an incoming hit from Paige. "Besides, I'm the only exciting thing in your life right now, you'd never get rid of me."

Paige shoulder checked her friend, she was unwilling to let the other girl get away with her snarky comments without some kind of payback. "Thanks, Hanna, for offering to order the whole staff dinner because we're staying late. That's really sweet of you."

Paige had spoken loud enough for everyone still at the shelter to hear. They reacted immediately with clapping and remarks of "yes!" and "I'm starved." Paige smiled widely at the shocked and dumbfounded expression on her friend's face.

"Nicely played, McCullers," Hanna said through gritted teeth. She wasn't going to back out of Paige's promise of free food. Her staff was underpaid and overworked and she knew a gesture like this would go a long way with them. But that didn't mean she had to like it. "I wouldn't enjoy your pizza too much; you have no idea what I'm going to do to it."

Paige shrugged. "I don't really care. Free food is free food."

Hanna left to go order the pizza, so Paige used her so-called free time to go check on all the animals in the hospital wing of the shelter. Most of them were on the road to recovery. Paige had a hard time when she couldn't save an animal, but thankfully those cases were few and far between.

When Paige was done her walk through she decided to tackle the mountain of paperwork that had built up over the last week. If she didn't get a handle on it soon, Hanna would start bothering her about it, which was never fun. Hanna had creative ways of dealing with her staff when they fell behind on their administrative tasks. The last time that Paige had been backlogged on case files, Hanna had created an alarm on Paige's phone – it was basically an alarm but, instead of a beeping sound, the alarm was Hanna's voice reminding her to get her work done and loud chirping sounds. Paige couldn't figure how to turn it off and it drove her so crazy that she had the paperwork completed in no time. The look of satisfaction on her friend's face when she handed in all her reports two days later was almost nauseating.

"Why do you look annoyed?" Hanna asked as she sat down beside Paige. "Dinner should be here soon. By the way, I'm taking the tip out of your next paycheck."

Paige didn't have the chance to respond because one of the shelter's vans pulled up right as she was about to fire a witty remark back at her friend. Hanna was on her feet almost as quickly as Paige was. The two of them were all business as their new patients were brought inside by one of their colleagues and a couple of volunteers.

When Paige's eyes fell on the mother of the litter of puppies and she saw how under nourished the dog was, Paige forgot all about how cranky and tired she had been mere moments before. She blocked everything else out.

It was time to get to work.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Six hours later, Paige was finally off of her feet. She thought about going home, but considering she was supposed to be starting another shift in a few hours, she wasn’t sure that made much sense. Her neighbor was going to feed her cats, she had a spare change of clothes in her locker and, luckily, there was a shower in the shelter so could at least freshen up before she had to start working again.

Paige’s stomach rumbled, but there was no way she had the energy to get up and forage for the leftover pizza that was now in the staff refrigerator. Hanna had tried to get her to eat between taking care of the shelter’s newest additions, but Paige had refused. She was too focused on the work that had to be done.

All things considered, the puppies were in relatively good health. But the same could not be said for their mother. When they had been abandoned, she had used all her strength to feed her litter. She had literally given all of herself to make sure they were still getting fed and that had left her weak and severely underweight. Paige’s heart ached when she saw the condition of Daisy – that was the name the rescue volunteers had given the dog when they couldn’t find her name tag. Paige had felt something inside of her break when she locked eyes with Daisy. It was something that she couldn’t explain to anyone, let alone herself. 

Paige wanted to go out and find the assholes that had done this so she could inflict a severe amount of pain on them. Paige’s chest had tightened and she had felt a deep rage inside of her. This wasn’t an unusual occurrence, but the intensity of that rage was something new for Paige. Then Daisy had licked her hand and looked right into Paige’s eyes. That’s when Paige’s rage was replaced by a determination to see Daisy and her puppies get a clean bill of health so they could find people who would love them and look after them.

Every muscle in Paige’s body ached and there was a dull throbbing in her head that had started the second she’d sat down. All thoughts about eating or taking a shower were slowly fading away because sleep was taking over. 

“Paige?”

Hanna’s voice forced Paige to open her eyes. God, she felt like crap. “Please, Han, I can’t get up right now, I just need a little shut eye before my next shift.”

“You did an amazing job tonight,” Hanna said, seemingly ignoring her friend’s request. “Thanks for staying and helping out.”

“You’re welcome,” Paige replied. She was desperate to end this conversation so she could rest. “Did you need something?”

“I need you to go home, I got someone to cover for you today.”

“Huh?” Paige was confused and tired enough that she was sure she was delirious. “This is a cruel joke you’re playing on me.”

Hanna smiled. “I’m not joking. As much as I love having you around to make fun of, if you don’t take the day off, you’re going to be in big trouble.”

“You are constantly threatening me, which means one of these days I’m going to start taking you seriously.” Paige was still unable to believe that she was being sent home.

“I’m not joking, Paige. You deserve it.” Hanna waited for Paige to make eye contact with her. “I see how hard you’ve been working – not just this week – but all the time. You deserve this. Please, take the day.”

Paige was so used to joking around with Hanna that it always took her by surprise when the other girl was actually being serious. It shouldn’t have surprised Paige, really. If there was anyone who gave as much of themselves to this place and to the animals in their care, it was Hanna. She also over worked herself but Paige knew that, just like her, there was nowhere else Hanna wanted to be. They had both dedicated their lives to a job they loved. 

“You’re the boss,” Paige replied. She wasn’t going to turn this gift down. 

“And don’t you forget it!” Hanna exclaimed. She had her hands on her hips and was giving Paige a look that could best be described as sassy. “I own you.”

“I think HR might have a problem with that,” Paige teased. Things between her and Hanna never stayed serious for too long. “Besides, you don’t swing my way no matter how much you wish you did.”

“Please, I’m an honourary lesbian, we both know that.” Hanna pulled Paige up from her seat. “Now, get your ass out of here, McCullers, before I—”

“Fire me,” Paige cut in. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, you really need to get some new material, Hanna, you’re slipping.”

Hanna made a few snarky remarks before she left to go home herself. If she was lucky she’d have a chance to spend a few hours with Caleb before she had to come back in. She acknowledged that she gave just as much of herself to the shelter as Paige did, but the difference was she had a life outside of work. Hanna wasn’t trying to be cruel or mean. All she wanted was for Paige to be happy, and as much as Paige said she was OK with her life as it was, Hanna suspected that wasn’t quite true. She loved Paige like a sister and that meant that Hanna wasn’t going to rest until she found a kick-ass lady who was worthy of being with Paige. No matter how long it took.

Paige got her stuff together, which took a lot longer than it usually did. She was running on fumes at this point. She wondered briefly if she should catch a cab, she was that tired but ultimately decided against it. She downed the last bit of coffee that she’d poured for herself hours before, hopefully it was enough to get her home safely.

On her way out, Paige couldn’t resist checking in on Daisy and her puppies one last time. She smiled to herself when she saw that the puppies were passed out in one big puppy pile. When Paige’s eyes fell on Daisy, she felt that familiar pain in her chest. Daisy was looking up at her, but she wasn’t moving. The only noise in the room was the sound of Daisy’s tail moving against the concrete floor. She was happy to see Paige, but didn’t have the strength to greet one of the people that had saved her. Paige walked over to the dog and knelt done right beside Daisy. She scratched behind Daisy’s ears causing the dog’s tail to move even faster than it had been. 

It was only when Paige was worried that she was going to pass out next to Daisy that she decided to get up. She told her new friend that she’d back to see her soon, even though she wasn’t supposed to be back at work until the next day. Paige reasoned that it wouldn’t hurt just to come by for a few minutes after she’d had gotten some sleep. 

As she trudged along the hallway, practically dragging her belongings with her, Paige decided that maybe it was a good idea to take a cab home after all.  
\------------------------------------------  
“You are so fired.” This is how Hanna greeted Paige when she saw walking into the shelter only hours after she had left. Hanna was not surprised to see her friend, but that didn’t mean she was happy about what Paige was doing. “I tell you to do one thing for me and you can’t even do that? This isn’t good.”

“But—”

“You think I don’t know why you’re here?” Hanna asked not expecting or wanting an answer. “I know, Paige, I’m here for the same reason, but I can’t have you burnout on me. OK?”

“But—” 

“No buts!” Hanna exclaimed. She rubbed her head in frustration. “I know we’re friends, but I’m also your boss and there are lines that cannot be crossed. Go home.”

Paige wasn’t having much success getting a word in edge wise. Normally Hanna was easy going; this behaviour was out of character for her. “But—”

“Go. Home,” Hanna spoke slowly, her annoyance coming through.

Paige reached out from behind her back and produced a bag full of something she knew that Hanna would want. “You can’t be mad at me now, can you?” She cocked her head to one side and did her best to look apologetic and adorable. 

“Ugh, stop, don’t look at me like that.” Hanna grabbed the bag of takeout food – from her favourite restaurant – and stalked off towards her office. She turned back to look at Paige before she disappeared down the hallway. “You’re joining me, right?”

Paige smiled. She was golden. “Of course. I’ll be there in a second.”

Hanna rolled her eyes, but she didn’t say anything further. When Paige was convinced that Hanna wasn’t going to reappear to yell at her, she went to go check in on Daisy. Paige tried to tell herself that her reaction to Daisy was normal and just because she cared a lot. 

That would be a lie.

Paige often felt connected to the animals that she treated, it’s just who she was. But this level of care and concern was not anything she’d dealt with before. She had spent the little down time she had since being sent home by Hanna thinking about Daisy and how Paige was going to handle her treatment. There had been a fleeting moment where she had considered adopting Daisy when she was back to full health – something Paige was determined would happen – but the more she thought about it, the more she came to accept that wasn’t going to happen. 

Her long hours meant that Daisy would not get the love and attention that she deserved. It would be selfish, Paige reasoned, to put the dog through that when she’d clearly been through enough of an ordeal already. Short of adopting Daisy, Paige was going to do everything she could to give the dog a chance at a full and healthy life.

When Paige entered the hospital wing, she crept over to Daisy’s cage, hoping to find the dog asleep. Paige felt the tightness in her chest loosen because that’s exactly what she found. She could have sworn Daisy’s tail started wagging after she got closer, but she quickly dismissed that idea. Paige chalked that up to being over emotional and over tired. 

“Did you leave me any food?” Paige asked after walked into Hanna’s office. 

“Don’t be an ass,” Hanna replied between mouthfuls of dinner. She was hungry and still very cranky. “You’re lucky I don’t get you thrown out of here.”

Paige sat across from Hanna, a concerned look on her face. “Han, what’s going on? I mean, I’m used to your abuse and threats, but you’re never usually this bad.”

Hanna was going to respond with sarcasm and deflection and then she noticed how worried her friend was. She pushed back her plate of food before looking back up at Paige. “I got word that we’re short on funding again.”

“Oh.” It was the only thing that Paige could think to reply. 

“We’re short by a lot,” Hanna added. 

"Shit," Paige replied. Funding issues weren't anything new, but they always worried Paige. She didn't want anything to happen to this place. There were too many animals that needed their help. "Why don't you—"

"Absolutely not," Hanna cut in. She knew exactly what Paige was going to offer and she was having none of it. "I will figure something out."

Paige was just as stubborn as Hanna, maybe more so. "You didn't even give me a chance to finish what I was going to say."

"I didn't need to." Hanna grabbed more food, if there was any time to stress eat, it was now. "You're not working for no money, Paige. That isn't happening."

"Maybe you just forget to pay me for a couple of months," Paige suggested. "I'm good with money, I have investments. I’d be fine."

That was mostly true. Paige did not live a flashy life but she was by no means independently wealthy or anything. Money didn't matter to Paige when the shelter was being threatened. She would make due.

"Look, I've told you before, having you as a volunteer is not an option. So drop it." Hanna used her stern don't-mess-with-me voice. "I will figure it out. Maybe we can hold a fundraiser soon or something."

Paige slumped back in her seat. There was no point in arguing with Hanna when she had made up her mind. She had faith in her friend's ability to come up with a plan. Hanna had the magic touch when it came to making the shelter's budget stretch further than most people could. Not to mention she was a brilliant fundraiser. Paige had to remember that it wasn't her job to fix the money issue; it was her job to fix the animals that were brought to the shelter. That's what she was the best at.  
\----------------------------  
Over the next few weeks, Paige's determination and damn near obsession with getting Daisy and her puppies healthy remained strong. The puppies were thriving; they were playful and rambunctious. Their mom, unfortunately, was another story.

At first Daisy had been on track to make a full recovery from her near starvation. After a few days of gaining weight, she started to regress. She started losing weight she couldn't afford to lose. The look of sadness that Paige saw in Daisy's eyes haunted Paige. She would leave her shift and go home to get her pent up emotions out. She'd workout until the pain her body felt replaced the pain she felt in her heart. She felt helpless and feeling helpless was a feeling that Paige despised.

Instead of relenting or thinking about giving up, she only got more determined. She was not going to stop until she figured out what the problem was.

After sending Daisy for more tests, Paige discovered a tumor in the dog's stomach that was very likely the cause of the myriad of issues Daisy was facing.

There was surgery and more recovery time, but now it finally looked like Daisy had turned a corner. She was at a healthy weight and even more importantly she had energy and was playful. Paige loved seeing Daisy in such good shape. Even if it meant that she was that much closer to having to say goodbye. She still entertained daydreams of getting to adopt Daisy, but she knew there was no chance of that actually happening.

Paige sat down on the floor and patted the spot next to her. As had been the routine since Daisy was recovered from surgery, she bounded over to Paige and sat next to her. When Paige was trying everything she could think of to get Daisy to eat, she had taken to stopping at a local deli and picking up a couple of sausages as a treat for the pup. Although Daisy was back to eating all of her food, Paige still felt like giving Daisy the daily treat. She cut up the sausage and then hand fed Daisy, much to the dog's delight.

"You'll be up for adoption any day now," Paige remarked once Daisy had made herself comfortable in Paige's lap. "You know I'm going to miss you, right?" Daisy snuggled closer to Paige in response. "But don't worry, I will make sure that you go to a good home. Nobody will be allowed to adopt you unless I think they're good enough for you. That's a promise."

Daisy was already fast asleep and snoring. Paige smiled to herself as she continued to pet the dog she was completely in love with. It was going to break her heart to let Daisy go, but she loved her enough to do what was right.

\---------------------  
Hanna sidled up to Paige, a satisfied smile on her face. "Who's brilliant?"

Paige rolled her eyes, but she couldn't deny her friend's genius."You're brilliant."

Hanna's smile got even wider. "Sometimes it's hard being this smart." She watched the TV that had been turned on just minutes before. "Featuring Daisy and her puppies on the local news did exactly what I wanted it do to. Our phones have been ringing off the hook about adopting them and donations have been pouring in as well. With any luck I don't have to worry about the bills for at least a few months, if not longer."

"That's awesome, Han," Paige said somewhat bitter-sweetly. It was likely that Daisy was going to find her forever home either today or some day very soon.

Hanna squeezed her friend's shoulder. She knew just how hard today was going to be for Paige. Even if Daisy was still at the shelter at the end of the day, she had now moved out of the hospital wing so Paige didn't have her for company like she was used to. She made a mental note to be extra nice to Paige even if giving up teasing her friend wasn't going to be easy.

One by one, people came in to enquire about Daisy's puppies. Some people where there just out of curiosity and some were there just to play with the dogs. But enough serious and qualified people came in that it looked like all the dogs would be going to new homes.

All except one.

For all the attention the story of Daisy and her babies had gotten, it appeared that people were only interested in adopting puppies. It made Paige a little angry that Daisy was getting overlooked, but a small part of her was relieved.

Paige had her head down so she didn't notice that someone had just walked into the shelter. Paige was too distracted by the paperwork that Hanna had just handed her to realize that goodbye was now imminent.

"Excuse me, I was wondering who I could speak to about adopting the dog I saw featured on the news this morning."

Paige froze. She wasn't capable of speaking or moving right then. All thoughts of Daisy were temporarily erased from her mind as she stood there in muted horror.

That voice was a voice that Paige unfortunately knew all too well.

It was a voice that had haunted and tormented her throughout high school.

And it was a voice that Paige had never expected or wanted to hear again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's time to pick up the pace :)

Paige's instincts told her to run. She wanted nothing more than to flee the scene, so she didn't have to feel like she was a teenager again. But that wasn't going to work for a couple of reasons. First of all, she wasn't able to move at present; her legs felt stiff and heavy. Second, somewhere deep down, in the logical part of Paige's brain that was still functioning, she knew that running away wasn't the right thing to do. She would not let some high school experience have power over her.

Paige inhaled sharply to psyche herself up. She could do this. She wasn't the shy and awkward person she used to be. She wasn't hiding who she was anymore. She wasn't filled with anger like she once was. Well, maybe that part was still true. But everything else about her was different.

Or so she would like to believe.

She wasn't weak like she felt she was back then. She was strong and confident. Not to mention successful. That's what she had to remember when she looked up and faced the person that had been such a presence in her life for years.

The funny thing was, not that Paige found any of this funny, that Emily probably had no idea the affect she had on Paige back then. Although teammates on the swim team for most of high school, they had never been friends and had hardly spoken outside of practice and meets. Emily had been popular and well liked while Paige was a loner who didn't allow herself to get close to anyone. Outside of swimming, they'd had very little in common.

It would have been easier for Paige if Emily had been snobby towards her or treated her badly. Maybe then Paige wouldn't have been hopelessly in love with someone who was never going to love her back. The fact that Emily was sweet and kind made things even harder. How was she supposed to bury her feelings for Emily when Emily was close to perfection?

Paige pined over Emily for years without ever telling the other girl how she felt or even trying just to be friends with her.

Then Emily came out. This development should have thrilled Paige—perhaps even given her hope. But if anything, it only drove her further into the closest. Her feelings for Emily grew stronger but so did her feelings of resentment towards her teammate. It was a dark time for Paige, and she thought she had moved passed it.

But hearing Emily's voice now transported Paige back to who she used to be. And she wasn't happy about it.

She likely won't even remember you, Paige said to herself before she looked up to face Emily. Paige would direct Emily to a member of the adoption staff and that would be it. She would walk away and forget all about Emily and all about the fact—even all these years later—that she still sent her heart racing.

When Paige's eyes finally connected with Emily's, she almost gasped. Paige had always considered Emily beautiful when they were in high school but that was nothing compared to how she looked now. Gorgeous didn't even begin to describe what Paige was looking at.

And, once again, Paige found herself paralyzed and unable to react.

"Oh my God! Paige?" Emily said when she saw who she was actually talking to you. If she noticed anything weird about how Paige was acting, she didn't comment on it. She appeared to be genuinely excited see Paige, which was not what Paige would have expected. "Do you work here?"

Paige remained dumbfounded. She felt like she was in a nightmare that she couldn't get out of. When she had left for University she thought she was leaving behind who she used to be and how unhappy she was, which begged the question of why she had moved back to Rosewood after finishing veterinary school. She had refused to acknowledge that question when she had landed back in Rosewood and she refused to ask that question now. It probably meant that she had old issues to deal with, but Paige wasn't about to cop to that, especially now, as she faced the person that had made her hate high school so much.

Reasonably, Paige knew it wasn't Emily's fault that Paige had developed feelings for the other girl and never acted on it. But when did logic ever come into play when facing demons that you thought were buried in the past?

"Work here?" Hanna said as she appeared seemingly out of thin air by Paige's side. "Without Paige, this place would fall apart."

Paige cringed at the appearance of her friend. This wasn't going to end well.

Hanna stuck out her hand. "I'm Hanna, by the way. I work here too. Well, I run the place actually." Hanna put her hand on her chest forgetting that she had offered Emily that same hand to shake. "And how exactly do you know Paige?" Hanna had been focused on something else entirely when Emily had walked into the shelter, but her sixth sense had piqued at just the right time. She caught part of the conversation between Emily and Paige and it was enough for her to know she had to find out what was going on.

For Paige's best interest of course.

Emily didn't seem to be able to stop looking at Paige, even when she was addressing Hanna's question. "We used to swim together in high school."

It was at the tip of Hanna's tongue to ask if that was a euphemism for something when she felt Paige jab her hard in the ribs. "That is so cool! I didn't realize that Paige was that talented in the pool."

Paige rolled her eyes as she momentarily forgot how uncomfortable she was. Then she caught Emily's eyes again and she couldn't even remember her own name.

"Talented? That's putting it mildly. Paige was the best," Emily replied sweetly.

Hanna looked back and forth between Paige and Emily with a smirk on her face. She was sure she had stumbled on something really good. "Well, I guess I have a lot to learn about my friend."

"Hi," Paige said too late in the conversation not to come off as awkward, but she had to say it. Maybe if she was able to act cool and nonchalant, she had a chance of salvaging a bit of her dignity. Emily smiled in response. The sound of Daisy barking snapped Paige back to reality. She cleared her throat a few times before she addressed the girl that she likely hadn't spoken more than ten words to when they were in school together. "You're, uh, here about the, uh, puppies, right?"

Hanna could not stop herself from reveling in what was happening. She was going to have so much fun at her friend's expense later.

Paige tried not to focus on the fact that her voice had cracked and how dorky she must have come across as. This wasn't about her anyway; this was about her job. Nothing more. "I'm sorry, but I think they've, uh, all been adopted." Emily didn't look upset about that news, which surprised Paige.

"Actually, I'm here about their mom, Daisy," Emily clarified. "I would have gotten here sooner but I couldn't get out of work. I really want to give her a good home. She looks like she deserves that and probably more, too."

Paige didn't know how to respond or even what to think. Was this really happening?

"That is, if she hasn't been adopted yet." Emily added, sounding nervous.

"She hasn't been," Hanna said when she realized that Paige wasn't up to the task of talking. "But it's not as easy as just coming in here and saying you want to take Daisy home." Just because Paige seemed to know this girl, didn't mean that Hanna wasn't going to give her the same speech she gave every person who came into the shelter looking to adopt. "There are forms to fill out, and you have to give us references. We'll also have some questions for you. We want to make sure that you appreciate exactly what you are getting into."

"I understand completely. This isn't just a whim or a last minute decision for me. I've been wanting to rescue a dog for a long time."

Emily sounded sincere, which put Hanna at ease. She was a good judge of character and she could sense that Emily was very serious about what she was about to do.

Paige was conflicted as she stood there while Emily and Hanna spoke. She was in no way capable of processing the reality that Daisy could possibly be going home very soon. She was also in no way capable of processing the reality that Emily was standing in front of her, and, if she put two and two together, lived in the same town that Paige did. How was that even possible? When Paige had agreed to come back to Rosewood it was with the understanding that Emily had moved on to bigger and better things.

Not that she would sometimes – in lonely moments – look up Emily online to find out information about her. Of course she wouldn't do that, because what would that say about her?

Hanna looked around only to find that all her adoption counselors were busy with other people. It looked like she would have to take care of Emily herself and that suited her just fine. "I'm going to take you to my office so we can get everything started." Hanna then turned to Paige, "Why don't you meet us in a few minutes with Daisy."

It took a few seconds for Paige to realize that Hanna was talking to her. "Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, sure, no problem." Paige didn't know what to do with herself when Emily looked at her and grinned before disappearing down the hall with Hanna. She could already feel her palms getting sweaty.

When Paige walked over the Daisy's cage, the stuff with Emily didn't seem all that important anymore. Who cared about seeing someone from her past when the dog that she loved in the present was going to be leaving? There was a chance that Emily would be deemed an unfit person to adopt, but given what Paige knew about Emily, she doubted that would happen. As happy as she was for Daisy that didn't stop the sharp pain that struck Paige in her gut. She had spent so much time taking care of Daisy these last number of weeks – and had invested so much of herself in Daisy's recovery – that not seeing Daisy every day was incomprehensible.

Daisy was on her feet – tail wagging – as soon as she spotted Paige.

"Hey," Paige whispered as she opened the cage door. She wanted to hug Daisy, but resisted that urge. She attached the leash in her hand to Daisy's collar instead. "There's someone here that wants to meet you." Daisy barked in apparent response to Paige, but Paige knew that wasn't possible. That didn't stop her from talking to Daisy like she understood. "I have no idea if Emily is the right person for you," Paige continued quietly as she led Daisy down the hall. Paige knew that Daisy wasn't going to be staying at the shelter another night. There was something about this situation that felt completely right to her. Even though another part of her – the part that felt sixteen and awkward all over again – tried to convince her otherwise. "But we will make sure that she is before you leave. Don't worry."

As Paige rounded the corner right by Hanna's office, a wave of apprehension hit her. It wasn't related to Daisy. It had to do with having to face Emily. She didn't feel mentally prepared to do so. She had to remind herself that she wasn't the person she used to be and that after today, one way or the other, Emily would be gone from her life and she'd be able to breathe again. Daisy must have sensed that something was wrong because she turned around and jumped up on Paige. It was the kind of behaviour that Paige would normally discourage, but in this case she would make an exception. She gladly accepted the hug now from Daisy and immediately felt better.

Paige was tempted to eavesdrop on the conversation going on between Hanna and Emily just in case it wasn't strictly professional. Paige knew her friend well enough to know that she might try and get some dirt on what Emily knew about Paige from their shared past. Paige quickly dispensed of that thought in her head because this wasn't a joking matter. Daisy deserved the best home possible and Hanna knew how important the dog was to Paige. Not to mention Hanna's job was all about finding good homes for the animals in their care.

Paige knocked on the door frame to announce her arrival. "Hey."

Emily turned around and for a moment Paige's heart stopped when their eyes connected. Emily's smile was so genuine and breathtakingly beautiful. It didn't take long for Emily's attention to be drawn away from Paige towards the very excited dog that was standing beside her former teammate. "Hey there," Emily said not to Paige but to the dog.

Daisy was so excited her tail was wagging all over the place. Her body didn't appear able to stop moving and all she wanted to do was get to this new person she was meeting. Emily's smile got even wider, but she didn't approach Daisy until the dog had calmed down. Paige took notice of this and she was sure that Hanna did as well.

Once Daisy was sitting, tail still wagging, Emily walked over and got down on her knees. She was about to greet Daisy formally, but the dog couldn't hold back any further. She licked Emily's face and then her paws were on Emily's shoulder. All three of them laughed and then Daisy nuzzled her head into Emily's neck.

Paige was surprised that she didn't feel jealous of the warm greeting that Daisy was giving Emily. She wondered if she was more OK with Daisy leaving than she gave herself credit for.

"Well I don't think we have to worry about whether you can bond with Daisy or not," Hanna said after a few minutes. She studied her friend's face to see what was going on in Paige's head with no success. From everything that Hanna had learned about Emily, she was certain that Daisy had found he forever home.

Emily continued smiling as she stood up. She was already crazy about Daisy and she was happy that the interview with Hanna was going well. She felt comforted that this place didn't just hand animals off to anyone who walked through the door. When Emily returned to the seat across from Hanna, Daisy followed her. While Hanna reviewed the necessary paperwork, Daisy sat dutifully on the floor beside Emily.

Paige watched the whole scene play out and she still remained surprisingly unaffected what was happening. It didn't bother her that Daisy was by Emily's side or that her departure was moving closer to reality.

"I have to call your references now," Hanna announced once she had all the information that she needed from Emily. "I'm going to call them from an empty office. I'll be right back." Before Paige could make up an excuse to leave, Hanna continued speaking. "Paige will keep you company while you wait, it shouldn't take too long."

Paige wanted to throttle Hanna, but there wasn't a way to do that without making a scene. She watched with daggers in her eyes as Hanna practically skipped out of the room, immensely proud of herself.

Once they were alone, Emily turned towards Paige. She instinctively started patting the top of Daisy's head, which the dog seemed quite happy about.

"She's a great dog," Paige blurted out in a panic. She wasn't sure what she could possibly talk to Emily about that wasn't going to be weird, or personal, so she decided to keep the focus on Daisy.

"She seems that way," Emily replied, the warmth in her voice evident. She started scratching behind Daisy's ears much to the dog's delight. "I'm so glad that I got here before anyone else could adopt her."

Paige leaned against the door frame. "Most people want a puppy so older dogs are often overlooked."

"Most people are idiots," Emily replied earning her a smile from Paige. "Maybe idiot is a harsh word, but how could anyone look at this face and not want to take her home?"

"I don't know," Paige shrugged. She wasn't quite sure where to take the conversation from here. Much to her relief, one of the shelter volunteers came in looking for Hanna. Because she wasn't around, Paige ended up having to help her. She couldn't have been happier. "I will be right back," she said to Emily before she left.

Paige's mind was racing as she helped the volunteer with a couple of the cats the volunteer was looking after. There were so many questions she had about why Emily was in Rosewood, but she didn't feel at all entitled to ask about what had brought Emily back. Never mind that Paige wasn't supposed to be invested or interested in anything to do with Emily. She was, after all, someone that Paige had ever really known.

When Paige returned to Hanna's office, Hanna was back and that left Paige feeling slightly deflated. After going back and forth in her head about it, she had decided to casually engage Emily in conversation just for her own curiosity and to be friendly – nothing more, nothing less. Now that wouldn't happen.

Hanna was beaming and Emily looked happy too. "It's almost official," Hanna said when Paige reentered her office. She turned her attention back to Emily. "Nothing makes me happier than finding one of our animals a place where they will be safe and loved. Thank you for coming in today."

Paige's stomach dropped. She berated herself for foolishly caring about Emily when she should have been focusing her attention on Daisy. This was it; she wasn't going to be around anymore. "Do you mind if I have a minute with her?" Paige asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Of course," Emily replied, "I believe there's still a form or two that I have to fill out anyway."

Paige ignored the look that Hanna was giving her. She would deal with her friend and what that look even meant later. It took a few minutes, but eventually Paige found a quiet place for her and Daisy, away from everyone else. She sat on the floor, so Daisy could put her head down on Paige's lap.

Paige wasn't even sure what she was saying to Daisy she just wanted the dog to know how much she had meant to Paige. As much as Paige may have saved Daisy's life, the reward of having Daisy around made that all seem like no big deal. She embraced the dog until she knew that she couldn't prolong things any longer. The last thing she wanted was for Hanna or, even worse, Emily to come looking for her. Paige felt like a weight was on her chest that couldn't be moved.

She was happy for Daisy, but that didn't mean she couldn't be upset for herself. Everything was happening at lightening speed that Paige's head felt like it was swimming. It had been a weird and very emotional day.

When Paige took Daisy back, the dog ran to Emily without looking back at Paige. That was a good thing, but it was still hard for Paige to handle. She couldn't recall ever feeling this torn up about something that was so positive.

"I, uh, have to go look after something," Paige said in order to leave quickly. She couldn't stick around to actually see Daisy walk out of the shelter.

She heard Emily say something back to her, but Paige was already out the door. Her emotions were overwhelming her and it was impossible to hold them back. She found a room that was empty and after she'd closed the door behind her, Paige sank to the floor.

By the time she was on the ground, the tears were already coming and there was no way for Paige to stop them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for more insight into high school Paige

Chapter 4

Paige was nursing a beer and pretending to watch a movie that was on the TV when she turned it on. She knew she must have been in bad shape because her two cats were cuddled up beside her, and that rarely happened. They were great cats, but no one would call them affectionate.

The rest of Paige's day had passed in a blur. She remembered eventually pulling herself together and then high tailing it out of work before Hanna could find her and before she started to cry again. Today had been emotional and weird, Paige thought to herself. She had a hard time processing everything that had taken place.

What she did know for certain was that Daisy had found a place where she was safe. So as much as it hurt to know she wouldn't be at work the next day, Paige felt at peace with the fact that she wouldn't see Daisy at the shelter anymore. In regards to having Emily pop back in her life—however briefly—Paige decided that was a momentary blast from her past and nothing more.

"What do you guys think?" Paige started, turning her attention to the two cats nuzzled into her. "Should I get up and cook something or should I just order in?" The cats responded by getting even closer to Paige, so she took that to mean they didn't want her to move. A decision she was perfectly fine with.

As Paige was contemplating what to order, she heard the lock of her front door opening.

This was not good.

She wasn't frowning because she didn't know who was trying to get into her house, she was frowning because she knew exactly who was coming in uninvited.

"You decent?" Hanna called out as soon as she had closed the front door behind her. She used this greeting every time she let herself into Paige's house after an incident they didn't talk about.

"No, I'm not," Paige replied hoping that would get Hanna to leave.

"I can tell you're lying," Hanna said as she made her way to the den. She had stopped in the kitchen just in case Paige was telling the truth and to also get a couple of plates. "I'm not going to give you a hard time or anything, you can relax. I know today was tough so I came to cheer you up."

Paige eyed her friend suspiciously. She wasn't sure if Hanna was telling the truth but she did appear to have brought dinner, so Paige was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. For now.

"How are you feeling?" Hanna asked before she started dishing out Chinese food.

"I'm fine," Paige replied. She still wasn't sure if she should trust Hanna's intentions.

"That's good." Hanna handed Paige her food and then she immediately started to dig in to dinner. "Do you think that our friendship is mostly based on food?" Hanna asked after she had taken a few bites of her meal. She sat back in her chair so she could focus on Paige. "I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that or anything, I'm just curious."

Paige shrugged. She wasn't quite sure how to answer that question. Not only that, she was starting to wonder why it was exactly that Hanna had come over.

"Whatever, as long as there's food involved, I'm good." Hanna said, seemingly unaware of how much suspicion she was garnering with Paige. "Am I right, or am I right?"

"You're right," Paige responded, she drew her words out slowly while keeping her attention right on Hanna. Something was going on.

"I'll drink to that!" Hanna looked around and then frowned. "Shoot, I forgot to grab myself a drink. You want another beer?"

"Sure." Paige watched as Hanna left the room, the uneasiness she was feeling only intensified. When Hanna returned with a big smile on her face, Paige couldn't restrain herself any longer. "OK, what is it exactly that you're up to?"

"Up to?" Hanna repeated in confusion. "I thought I was pretty clear on the matter, I was getting us drinks."

Paige rolled her eyes. She hated when Hanna acted innocent and clueless—two things she was not. "Don't play the dumb blonde, Han. We both know that doesn't work with me. Out with it."

"I know you had a bad day. That's it. That's the only reason I'm here." Hanna handed Paige the beer and then sat back down. "Why are you so suspicious of me anyway?"

"Because I know you," Paige said with a smirk. "Because you're you and I know you're just dying to ask me all sorts of questions, right?"

"Nope, you're not right." Now it was time for Hanna to smirk. "I'm not going to ask you anything. I'm going to sit here and eat my dinner with you and then we're going to watch a trashy movie that we can both enjoy and that's it. End of story."

Paige was not going to let this go, however. "End of story? That's it. Just like that?"

Hanna nodded. "Yup, just like that." She reached for the TV remote that was by Paige. "What are you in the mood to watch?"

"I don't care." Paige knew she was being unreasonable, but she couldn't figure out what kind of game Hanna was playing. It didn't make sense.

"Yes, dealer's choice!" Hanna's voice was cheery and annoying the shit out of Paige.

After a few minutes, Hanna found something to her liking. She turned her attention to the movie that had just started while she continued to eat. Paige on the other hand had stopped eating all together. She couldn't stop staring at Hanna. She was getting angrier and more on edge the longer she stared.

"So you're not going to ask me anything about Emily?" Paige asked after she couldn't stand it another second. "Not one thing?"

"Not one thing," Hanna repeated back to Paige. She wasn't looking at her friend while she spoke. "I'm here to just be supportive and keep you company."

"So you're not going to ask why I acted weird when I saw her?" Paige continued, her outrage intensifying. "You're not going to pepper me with questions or make assumptions or innuendos or anything like that? Really? How is that even possible? You're all about pushing me when I don't want to talk and now you're just going to sit here and pretend that you don't want to ask me a million questions?"

By the time Paige finished ranting she was slightly out of breath and still outraged.

"Paige, honey, I told you already, I'm here strictly for selfless reasons." Hanna finally turned around so she was facing Paige. "Nothing more."

"You are so frustrating!"

"I'm not even doing anything!"

"I know!" Paige was pretty much yelling at this point. "I also know you want to ask me a bunch of questions and make snide comments and generally be nosy beyond what is acceptable."

"Paige—"

"Don't 'Paige' me!" Paige cut in. "You want to know the story? Fine, I'll tell you the whole stupid story that isn't even worth telling. Emily and I were on the swim team together all through high school. I had a huge, massive crush on her, she never knew and that's it. That's the whole story. Are you satisfied?"

"Paige—"

"I know, OK? It's lame. I told you that it's not even a good story. I was shy and awkward and didn't think someone like Emily would ever look at me. But I'm over it so let's not linger on this because it's in the past and that's that."

Hanna moved over to the couch Paige was on. "I would kick a guy in the balls if he asked me this, but are you like PMSing or something?"

Paige wasn't offended by the question mostly because she has didn't pay attention to it. She got up without explanation, leaving behind a puzzled and somewhat worried Hanna. When Paige came back a couple of minutes later, she had something in her hand. "See!" she exclaimed after she'd taken a seat beside Hanna.

"See what?" Hanna asked, not sure what Paige was showing her.

Paige pointed to the picture she wanted Hanna to look at. "This is me in all my high school glory." There was no missing the sarcasm in her voice. "There. You have the whole story about Emily and my experience in Loserville. Now you can leave me alone about it."

"Oh, Paige," Hanna said in amusement. "You really need to learn to mediate or do something to calm yourself down." She wasn't trying to be mean, she just wasn't used to Paige being irrational and dramatic. That was usually more Hanna's thing. When she finally looked down at the picture Paige insisted she looked at, she burst out laughing. "What the fuck is wrong with you hair? It looks ridiculous. Why did you ever think that bangs would look good on you?"

Paige responded by folding her arms across her chest and pouting. "Thanks for being supportive."

Hanna moved over so she was shoulder to shoulder with Paige. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed, it…just took me by surprise. Come on, you know I love you and think you're hot." Paige continued to sulk and in fact looked even more pitiful. "Everyone goes through an awkward phase in high school. Yours was just a little bit more, uh, intense than other people."

"Gee, that made me feel so much better," Paige snapped.

"Do you think I would have laughed if you weren't smoking hot now?" Hanna asked, not expecting a response. "Don't be an idiot. I probably shouldn't even admit this to you, but I've had sex dreams about you and I don't have sex dreams about just anyone."

"Hanna!" Paige shrieked her own issues momentarily forgotten.

"What?" Hanna couldn't understand what the problem was. "It's not like I have them all the time or anything. Plus, I said you were good. Duh, that's a compliment."

"Fuck me," Paige muttered to herself. She couldn't believe it was possible things to have gotten worse and more uncomfortable.

"Maybe in my dreams." Hanna laughed and then she winked and Paige who only groaned. "Easy, McCullers, I'm just trying to make you feel better."

"You're doing a bang up job of it."

"You know, sometimes I wonder if you realize how good you have it with me?" Hanna stated. "But even if you don't, it's OK. I know that I'm awesome. Which is why…"

"Which is why, what?" Paige asked after Hanna paused dramatically.

"I got Emily's phone number for you." Hanna finished triumphantly. "Who's the best? I'm the best!"

Paige didn't know how to react. "You got what, now?"

Hanna's eyes widened in fear that Paige might lose it again. "Calm down, we talked while we were filling out all those forms and she kept asking me questions about you. I mean, she was trying to be subtle about it, but I could tell that it was more than just normal curiosity."

"Emily was asking questions about me?" Paige wasn't trying to be dense; she just had a hard time believing that what Hanna was telling her was true.

"Yes, she really did," Hanna assured her friend. "She kept expecting you to come back and when you didn't she seemed disappointed. Then she handed me this." Hanna produced a piece of paper from her jeans pocket. "She said to give it to you in case you wanted to check in on Daisy."

When Paige reached for the piece of paper that Hanna was holding, she half expected Hanna to snatch it away, but she didn't. "Uh, thanks."

"'Uh, thanks'?" Hanna repeated. "That's what I get for giving you a connection to your unrequited love from high school?" Hanna shook her head sadly. "See if I ever have a sex dream about you again."

Hanna's comment didn't upset Paige. Instead, she laughed. "What the hell am I going to do with you?"

"Love me forever," Hanna replied with a big smile on her face. "Platonically, of course." She patted Paige's knee. "But the better question is, what are you going to do with Emily? You need a game plan, my friend."

Paige went quiet. She had never considered that Emily would want to be in touch with her after today, and now she had no idea what to do.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Two days had passed since Hanna handed Paige, Emily's phone number and Paige still hadn't made contact with her former teammate. Every time she tried to write a message or call Emily, she would chicken out. Paige convinced herself that it was better to wait until later. The problem was, later never really came. Plus, she had Hanna on her back about contacting Emily, which was not fun.

As laid back as Hanna was on the night she came over to cheer Paige up about Daisy, she had been the complete opposite since then. It got so bad that Paige had stopped replying to Hanna's emails and texts, which only made Hanna more insistent.

Lucky for Paige, it was the weekend and she had two whole days off. She needed the time to get her head together and figure out what she wanted to do. In a surprising bit of good news, Caleb was talking Hanna away for the weekend. That meant Paige could actually have some peace and quiet.

As if on cue, Paige's phone went off and when she looked down, she saw that it was another message from Hanna. One she was going to ignore. Not just because she didn't want to answer Hanna's many questions, but also because she was in the process of tuning up her bike and her hands were covered in oil and grease. She couldn't wait to get everything working to her liking so she could finally take her bike out now that the weather was getting nice.

Paige was in her driveway with her back turned to the sidewalk, bent over to get one of the tools she needed. So she had no way of knowing that anyone was behind her.

"Paige?"

Paige was caught completely off guard, especially since the voice that called her name sounded suspiciously like Emily Fields. With a lot of trepidation she turned around to find that Emily was in fact, standing there, on her driveway. Her hair was in a messy ponytail and, if Paige had to guess, she suspected that Emily was in the middle of a run.

"It is you!" Emily exclaimed, sounding excited. "Sorry if I scared you."

"Uh, that's OK," Paige replied. She was actually proud of herself for forming words. She had a million questions she wanted to ask Emily but, for the life of her, she couldn't think of anything to say. "What are you doing here?" she eventually blurted out. "Uh, what I mean is, uh—"

"I'm not stalking you or anything, don't worry," Emily teased. If she was put off by Paige's question, she didn't show it. "I didn't realize that my running route went by your house. Assuming this is your house of course."

Paige felt a little more at ease, but not enough that she could fully relax. "It is," Paige said, she hoped she was smiling. "How, uh, how are you?"

"Tired," Emily replied with a laugh.

Paige was sure that she was smiling now. Not to mention her heart was racing, like it had always done around Emily. "I bet. Do you, uh, want a drink or something?"

Emily shook her head, "No, but thanks for the offer." Her eyes raked over Paige's bike. "You like to ride?"

This was a topic of conversation that Paige actually felt comfortable discussing. "Love it is more like it. I got my motorcycle license before I even got my driver's license. Much to my mother's dismay."

"That's mothers for you."

Things got quiet and that made Paige anxious again. She needed to think of something to say. "How are things going with Daisy?" Paige asked. She tried not to think how this would have been the perfect question to ask Emily when she first got the other girl's number.

Emily responded first with a really big grin. "They are going well. Really well, actually. She's made herself at home. I can't believe she's only been a part of my life for a few days. It feels like a lot longer than that."

"I know the feeling," Paige said, her eyes warm. "I'm glad things are working out."

"Me too. She actually came on my run with me yesterday, but it must have tuckered her out because she didn't want to get up with me this morning." Emily let out a little chuckle. "I left her at home in bed with my girlfriend. It's hard to tell who was more comfortable under the covers." Paige frowned – involuntarily – and Emily noticed right away. "Oh, uh, I mean my friend. Who is a girl. Not my actual girlfriend. Well, she's actually my roommate, too, and, uh, I'm not even sure what I'm saying so I'm going to shut up now."

Paige felt a little better about things now that it appeared she wasn't the only one feeling a bit ill at ease. "I was surprised to see you in Rosewood. The last I heard your swim career was really taking off."

Emily shrugged. "I thought that too, but when I didn't make the Olympic team, I decided that maybe it was time for me to do something else." Emily got quiet, but she didn't seem upset. "I was sorry to hear about your shoulder injury, I know how much you love to compete."

Paige was surprised that Emily knew anything about her. She tried not to show it though. "Things worked out OK, I love what I do."

"That's how I feel, too. When I got offered a chance to coach the Sharks, I thought it would be the perfect way to keep swimming in my life," Emily explained.

"You coach the Sharks? No way!"

Emily laughed. "I know, I can't believe it either. It's really weird going back to high school every day. I can't believe how small everything looks now." Paige was so busy taking this information in, that she didn't notice the change in Emily's body language and demeanour. "We actually have a meet on Tuesday. Maybe you want to come by and check it out? I mean, if you're not busy or anything. No pressure."

"That actually sounds fun," Paige replied honestly.

Emily looked happy by Paige's response. "Great, I look forward to seeing you then." Emily shifted around on her feet as if she had something else to say. Eventually she said, "I probably should get back to it." But she didn't leave immediately. "I'm really glad I ran into you today."

Paige wasn't sure she was breathing. "Me too."

Emily took a few steps towards Paige, causing the other girl to freeze up. Emily kept her eyes connected with Paige as she reached over to get something that Paige couldn't see. Not explaining her actions, Emily reached up and wiped Paige's nose with a rag that Paige always kept close by when she was working on her bike. "Sorry, you just had a little bit of grease right there."

Paige was too shocked to respond with words, but her eyes never left Emily's. Was Emily actually flirting with her? She quickly dismissed that thought as soon as it entered her head.

"See you Tuesday," Emily said before slowly walking away to finish her work out.

Paige was in a daze as she watched Emily leave. When Emily was almost out of sight, she turned back and waved at Paige.

On autopilot, Paige waved back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Tuesday's episode of PLL should be...interesting. I can't imagine in any world that Paige would not show up to prom in a tux looking dapper as hell. My plan is to try and have an update ready to go Wednesday to deal with the disappointment of that not happening. Hopefully you don't mind an extra update this week :)
> 
> One more thing, I had someone ask me what Daisy looks like. If you're interested, I'm going to post a picture of how I see Daisy on Tumblr (You can find a link to my Tumblr on my profile page).

Paige could not believe her bad luck. Of all the days for her car to break down, today was the worst day it could possibly happen. That wasn't hyperbole. Paige was supposed to be on her way to the swim meet Emily invited her to. Unfortunately for Paige, her car wouldn't start and, while she was good with motorcycles, she couldn't figure out what was wrong with her car.

"This can't be happening," Paige muttered to herself. She had tried everything to get the car going with no success. With one last desperate shot, she tried banging her head against the steering wheel to see if that helped. It did not.

There was only one way to get out of this mess, and Paige really didn't want to exercise this option. She'd managed to sneak out of her work before Hanna could bug her even more about today than she had already. Paige had endured an onslaught of teasing and ribbing from Hanna and now she had to go begging her friend for help. Life just wasn't fair, she surmised.

Grumbling and pouting, Paige walked back inside the shelter. This was going to hurt. "You busy?" Paige asked begrudgingly when she arrived at Hanna's office.

Hanna flashed her friend a bright smile. "For you, I'm never too busy." That would have sounded sweet coming from anyone but Hanna. "Do you need a pep talk before your big date?"

"It's not a date," Paige replied through gritted teeth. It was taking all her self control not to yell at Hanna…like she'd already done countless times that day.

"Right, right, it's not a date," Hanna said sounding very dismissive. "Actually, it better not be a date because if it was, I would hope you'd wear something better than faded jeans and a Batman t-shirt."

Paige counted to ten in her head to prevent herself from losing it completely. "Look, I don't have time to banter with you right now. My car has picked this very moment to breakdown. Is there any way I could borrow yours for a few hours?"

"Sure, what are friends for?" Hanna was going to file this in her head for a later time when she needed something from Paige. She was about to hand over her keys when she remembered that she had plans later. "Shit, I forgot I'm meeting Caleb after I'm done here. I can't be late to meet him again or I have to make it up to him in the bedroom, which, let me tell you, is not fun because he really loves-"

"Please don't finish that sentence," Paige cut in. "I'm begging you, please don't finish that sentence."

Hanna was unfazed by the look of horror on her friend's face. "I can drop you off, though, because I'm that awesome."

Normally, Paige would not have accepted such an offer. So many things could go wrong, but she didn't have a choice in the matter—especially if she wanted to make a good impression on Emily. Not that she cared all that much about making a good impression on Emily, thank you very much. "Fine."

"Fine?" Hanna was incredulous. "Fine? I think the words you're looking for are: 'Thanks, Hanna, for being the bestest friend anyone can ask for.' I mean, really. 'Fine'! You need to work on your manners."

"I'm going to be late," Paige replied, ignoring Hanna's outburst. "Can you drive me now and lecture me later?"

Hanna grabbed her stuff and then followed Paige out the door. "You're lucky your love life is so pathetic, otherwise I would not let you off the hook so easily."

"Yeah, lucky," Paige said to herself. She would have argued with Hanna more, but all she wanted was for Hanna to drop her off at Rosewood High and then leave her be.

Until that happened, Paige was going to continue biting her tongue in the hopes that Hanna wouldn't do anything further to piss her off.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Paige asked, a feeling of dread washing over her. They had just pulled into the parking lot of Rosewood High and to her horror, Hanna hadn't dropped her off at the front of the school.

"Parking my car. Duh!" Hanna replied like she had just been asked the stupidest question in the world.

Paige was not pleased by that answer. "And why in the world would you be doing that?"

"Because if I don't put my car in park it will crash into something when I get out," Hanna said matter-of-factly. "For someone so smart, you can be really dense."

"You are not getting out of this car," Paige ordered. Sometimes Hanna left her in a perpetual state of annoyance. "You are going to leave me here and absolutely, positively, not get out of this car."

Hanna scoffed at Paige. "That's the thanks I get for taking time out of my busy schedule to haul your ass across town for your date? How rude!"

"It's not a date!" Paige exploded.

Hanna flashed her friend a brilliant smile. "Well, if it's not a date, then you won't mind me coming with you. Right?"

Paige felt every muscle in her body tense up. Hanna had set her up and she had walked completely into the trap. There was no way she could insist that this wasn't a date – which it wasn't – and care that Hanna was tagging along. On the other hand, Hanna knew that Paige wasn't willing to admit that she did hope that there was the possibility of something going on with her and Emily. Because if she did, then Paige would have to admit that she did, in fact, want to date, as long as she found the right person.

She was stuck, and Hanna had brilliantly figured out a way to exploit that fact.

In the back of her mind, she saw an out with Hanna insisting on coming with. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have someone – even someone as frustrating as Hanna – with her today. As much as Hanna's tactics bordered on complete inappropriateness, she did provide Paige an outlet for the doubt and uncertainty that was creeping into her mind. The last thing she wanted to do was let her head mess with her – especially today. Maybe Hanna knew that which is why she was being particularly maddening.

Or Hanna could just like messing with her, there was that possibility as well.

"You're an asshole," Paige finally said after a minute of silence. She got out of the car and slammed the door behind her.

"An asshole that saved you today," Hanna reminded her friend. She quickly followed Paige into the school, although she did have to almost jog to keep up with Paige, she was walking that fast. "Don't get all worked up over nothing. I'll be good. Plus, if things get weird, you can use me as an excuse to leave. It's a win-win situation."

Paige ignored Hanna as she made her way to the pool. Not just because she was irritated by Hanna, it also had to do with the fact that she was back in a place that held so many memories for her – most of them bad. Being back in the halls of her old high school transported Paige back to a time when she felt awkward, alone and angry. Maybe having Hanna by her side wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"You really need to wipe that sour expression of your face," Hanna said while they made their way through the crowd was getting thicker as they approached the school's aquatic centre. "You're never going to wow Emily if you look like that."

Paige stopped walking and whirled around to face Hanna. She might be grateful to have her friend with her, but that didn't mean she was going to let Hanna off the hook. "I could be mad at you, but instead I'm going to think of a way to get you back for this. Just know it's going to be painful and humiliating."

Hanna leaned in so only Paige would hear what she was going to say next. "Look, I know you have committed yourself to a solitary life, but maybe you can take care of yourself once in a while so you're not so much of a stick in the mud if you know what I mean." When Paige didn't respond, Hanna felt the need to explain herself. "Get yourself off, McCullers, it will make you a lot less cranky."

Instead of responding with anger, Paige burst out laughing. For as ridiculous as Hanna was, Paige couldn't stay mad at her for too long. She said the most inappropriate things at the most inappropriate times, but she did have a way of distracting Paige from the anxiety she was feeling. "You're a lunatic."

Hanna couldn't figure out what the problem was, she was just stating facts. "What? It's true, you know. Having an orgasm releases endorphins or something like that. I read it in a magazine once. Plus, from personal experience, I can confirm how good an orgasm feels."

"Oh boy," Paige whispered under her breath. The last thing she needed was to get kicked out the meet because Hanna was being rude. "How about we talk less about sex and go find us some seats?"

Hanna shrugged. "Fine by me. Do they sell food here? I could so go for some popcorn or a pretzels right now."

Paige rolled her eyes and then she yanked Hanna by the arm. "Let's go."

It took them a few minutes to get to the bleachers but it wasn't hard for them to find a place to sit. Paige felt weird being in the stands when she had spent so much time in this place as a competitor. Even though she couldn't remember ever feeling nostalgic for high school, she found herself hoping that the Sharks did well. Paige wondered how much Emily had a lot to do with her new found school spirit.

"I can't believe so many people come out for a stupid school swim meet," Hanna said. She didn't get why people loved sports in general.

"Hey! It's not a stupid school swim meet," Paige protested. "The Sharks have a reputation for a very strong team and a lot of successful swimmers have come out of this program. Well, at least that was true when I came here."

"Whatever." Hanna waved her arm dismissively. "I better not stink of chlorine when this is over."

Paige smirked. "You can always leave now."

"And miss the opportunity to annoy my very best friend in the whole wide world?" Hanna slapped Paige's knee a few times. "Not a chance."

Paige was about to respond to Hanna when she caught sight of Emily walking into the pool area with her team. Her heart started racing immediately. Emily was captivating on looks alone. But the expression of determination on her face as she guided her team to where they needed to be caused tingles to disperse themselves throughout Paige's body.

She was staring. She knew she was staring and yet she couldn't turn away. Being back in one of the places that Paige had pined longingly over Emily made it almost impossible for her to do anything else. There was a small part of Paige that wanted to flee, but she ignored that part of herself. Plus, Hanna had a firm grip on her arm. Even if she didn't, Paige wasn't going to run—not now and not from whatever this was.

It was at that moment when Emily turned towards the stands, her eyes seemingly scanning the crowd. Paige was certain that Emily wasn't looking for her – why would she be? Sure she'd been invited to come, but Emily must be looking for one of the parents or someone else that Emily knew who was coming to the meet. At least, that's what Paige reasoned.

That theory was challenged when Emily's eyes connected with hers. The way that Emily's face lit up when she saw Paige was enough to send Paige into a state of shock. This wasn't happening. There was no way, Paige reasoned, that any of this was happening.

Hanna watched the scene play out with a lot of amusement. Paige had always given off this vibe of stoicism and being above all the things that came with dating or liking someone. Yet here she was, looking at Emily like some kind of love struck teenager. For all her bravado and all her claims that she was happy by herself, this was all the confirmation that Hanna needed that Paige was full of it. The issue was never Paige not wanting to be with someone, it was more about Paige wanting to be with that right someone. Hanna had no way of knowing if Emily was Ms. Right, but what she hoped was that whatever was going on Emily, Paige would take the chance on what could be.

Emily continued to smile at Paige, even with all the commotion going on around her. Eventually she waved at Paige. With Paige acting like a statue, it took Hanna elbowing her in the ribs before Paige woke up from the stupor she was in to wave back. Emily's smile got even more brilliant, but she couldn't stand there all day staring at Paige She had a job to do. So with one final small, quick wave, she took off to find her team.

"Don't say a word," Paige said when the spell between her and Emily had been broken. She didn't need Hanna giving her a hard time.

"What would I even say?" Hanna asked wide eyed and innocently. She sat down next to Paige in the bleachers as the two of them waited for things to get started. "Do you really think that I would make fun of you the fact that when Emily walked in here you turned into a doe-eyed school girl? I'm really insulted by that, you know."

Paige decided not to respond. Instead she focused her energy on watching Emily as she gave last minute instruction to girls that were about to swim the relay. That was much better use of her time than listening to Hanna mock her.

Hanna didn't take the silence as a sign of defeat; instead, she took it as a sign that she had to try harder. "Paige and Emily, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-"

"If you don't stop it right this minute," Paige said, cutting Hanna off without taking her eyes from the pool, "I will get you back, Marin. And I know things about you. Private things. Personal things. And I'm not afraid to play dirty."

Hanna was about to laugh off the threat from Paige, but then she thought better of it. Perhaps it was time to dial things down a notch. At least for now.

Paige relished in the silence, now she could just sit back and enjoy herself.

That silence was occasionally punctured with questions from Hanna about what certain things meant or what was going on. Paige didn't mind explaining what Hanna didn't understand and even found herself cheering and screaming along with the crowd. She ended up having a better time than she thought she would. It didn't hurt that, at moments, Emily would glance in her direction and flash Paige that stunning smile of hers.

"That wasn't half bad," Hanna admitted once the meet was over. "If we were in high school together I definitely would have come out to cheer for you."

Paige wasn't really paying attention to her friend. Her mind was busy trying to figure out what she should do now. Technically Emily was at work and would likely have responsibilities to take care of. On the other hand, Paige felt like taking off was rude. Luckily, Emily solved Paige's dilemma by walking over to the two of them when they had walked down from the bleachers.

"You came!" Emily exclaimed. She was practically beaming. "I mean, of course you came. You're here and I can see you," she rambled, blushing ever so slightly. "So, what do you think of this year's Sharks?"

"I think other teams are going to have a tough time against them," Paige replied enthusiastically. "That must mean you're a great coach."

Emily's blushing intensified. "I don't think so. I'm still so new at this. I really have no idea what I'm doing."

"I somehow doubt that. You looked great out there," Paige replied, blushing the second she'd registered what she said. She really was trying to give Emily a compliment and not flirt with her. Well, that wasn't completely true, but still, Paige really was impressed by Emily's coaching skills.

Hanna rolled her eyes. She was so close to telling Paige that the two of them were going to make her puke. They were being ridiculously adorable. "Hi, Emily" is what Hanna settled on, because she was sure that Paige would murder her if behaved badly. Plus, as much fun as it was to tease Paige, she did want to see her friend happy.

Emily's attention was dragged away from Paige. "Hey, uh, Hanna right?"

"Yeah, I've been standing here the whole time, not that you would have noticed," Hanna whispered to herself. "That's right. I'm sorry I tagged along with Paige today."

"You don't have to apologize," Emily replied.

Hanna thought she could see Emily sizing her up and wondering why Paige would bring her boss along to a high school event. Being the helpful person that she was, Hanna decided to put to rest any lingering doubt or questions Emily might be having. "Paige just needed a ride because her car broke down. I actually have plans with my BOY-friend. His name is Caleb. He's really cute and I'm completely in love with him. Just so you know."

Emily was puzzled by Hanna's weird declaration of love for her boyfriend. "Uh, OK. Good for you, I guess."

Paige wanted to throttle Hanna. She was being so obvious and smiling proudly like she had just done a good thing. This was so embarrassing.

"So, how's Daisy?" Hanna asked when she saw the vein on Paige's neck start to throb. That was never a good sign. "I hope things are going well."

"They're amazing," Emily replied, looking happy. "She's the best thing that's happened to me in a long time."

"I'm sure she would say the same thing about you," Paige interjected. The conversation stopped as her and Emily got locked in a staring contest of sorts. It wasn't normal, Paige thought, that Emily could make her feel warm and anxious at the same time.

Hanna observed the way Paige and Emily were looking at one another and this time it didn't make her feel like throwing up. Instead, it made her feel like maybe things in Paige's life were about to change. Seeing an opportunity to actually do something nice for Paige, Hanna decided once again to interrupt things. "Uh, you know what, I just got a message that I have to run an errand that I forgot about. And it's completely private so I, uh, have to do it alone." Hanna took a deep breath before she continued rambling. "And I realize that I hardly know you, Emily, but is there any way you could give Paige a ride? Because I have to leave this very second. Is that OK with you?"

Paige went wide-eyed. What the hell was Hanna doing?

"Yeah, sure that's not a problem," Emily replied quickly.

"I can find my own ride," Paige assured Emily. She didn't want Emily to think she'd set anything up. "I don't want to bother you."

"You're not bothering me. It's the least I can do."

"Excellent," Hanna said proudly. She was doing such a good thing right now. "Emily, it was great seeing you again. I'm ecstatic that things with Daisy are working out. Paige, I will see you at work tomorrow." Hanna turned around to avoid the death stare she was getting from Paige. "Toodles."

Paige and Emily watched Hanna take off without saying anything. Eventually, Emily broke the silence. "Your friend is interesting."

Paige shook her head, she was mortified. "I'm so sorry about that. I don't know what is wrong with her."

Emily smiled at Paige and then put her hand on the other girl's arm. "Don't apologize, I'm happy to have the chance to spend time with you."

Paige's throat went try and her whole body got suddenly hot. She was trying to convince herself that Emily was just being friendly but even she was having a hard time believing that.

"I have to finish a few things before I can leave. Do you mind?" Emily asked after she removed her hand from Paige's arm.

Paige was disappointed by the loss of contact. She could feel her stomach still a flutter at the gentle touch of Emily. "No. Of course not."

"I won't be long." Emily assured Paige before she disappeared down the hall.

Paige wanted to tell Emily she could take all the time she needed.

She'd be waiting.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Paige checked her phone for what she was sure was hundredth time in the last twenty minutes. She wasn't trying to be obsessive, but it felt like Emily was taking forever to come and get her. A very small part of Paige was worried that this was some kind of prank and that Emily never intended to come back, even though there was no rational basis for that thought.

Paige wanted to blame Hanna and her antics for her getting worked up over nothing. She was annoyed with her friend, very annoyed, but blaming Hanna was Paige's way of not taking responsibility for her feeling the way she was feeling. Being back at her high school was drudging up memories Paige thought she was over. Feeling like an outcast had been the norm for Paige back then, so expecting something good in a place where were a lot of bad happened was almost impossible.

She was tempted to text Emily—just to check in—but decided against it. She already worried that Hanna had made a bad enough impression for both of them. Maybe she wasn't being fair to Hanna, who was trying to help in her own twisted way, but that didn't stop Paige from ignoring the various thumbs-up, emoji-filled messages that she'd received from her friend while she was waiting for Emily. Hanna would be dealt with at a later time—when Paige could think of suitable way to get back at her.

When anxiety threatened to take over, Paige closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The smell of chlorine overwhelmed her senses and, at the same time, managed to calm her down. While being at her high school wasn't all that pleasant for Paige, being at the pool was. She'd always felt at home in the water. Outside of the pool she had been awkward and uncomfortable. Inside the pool was a whole different story. She might not have been able to navigate the social hierarchy of high school life, but when she was swimming she could compete and beat the best. It was the only place in those unhappy years that she had felt somewhat at ease.

That's probably why she sat at the edge of the pool, her shoes and socks at her side, her pants rolled up and her feet dangling in the water. It relaxed her, which is exactly what she needed at that moment.

"Is this seat taken?"

Paige wasn't sure how much time had passed, but when she whirled her head to the right and looked up, Emily was smiling down at her. Emily didn't actually wait for a response. She sat down next to Paige, the smile still planted firmly on her face. "Sorry I took so long."

"Uh, it's OK," Paige replied. She wondered briefly if Emily found it weird that she had her feet emerged in the water. "Thanks again for the offering me a ride home. I really feel the need to apologize for Hanna once more. I'm going to throttle her the next time I see her."

Emily let out a quiet laugh. "Don't do that. It's fine, really. If anything, I owe her a thank you."

"You do?" Paige asked, her left eyebrow raised. Maybe Emily wasn't as perfect as Paige had always imagined her to be.

"Yeah." Emily looked down briefly and then back up at Paige. "Because of her, I get to spend more time with you."

Paige was sure her heart was doing summersaults in her chest. She had never experienced this kind of feeling before. This warmth and electricity that seemed to be traveling within her body was almost dizzying. "Oh." Was the only thing that escaped her now parched lips. Was Emily actually flirting with her? No, that couldn't be possible. Paige was sure that Emily meant something more along the lines of friendship, or, even more plausibly, that Emily had some dog-related questions about Daisy and wanted to ask Paige her expert opinion. That seemed much more likely than actually flirting. "Maybe I won't throttle her after all," Paige managed to get out with a lot of difficulty. It didn't help that Emily's expression had changed to something along the lines of bashful.

It was endearing and caused Paige's heart to go from summersaults to racing.

Emily was fiddling with a pen that was in her hand as she continued to look at Paige. "Actually, there was something I—"

"Coach Fields?"

Paige and Emily both turned to see that they weren't alone in the aquatic center any more. Standing just outside of the entrance were two girls from the swim team.

"If you're busy. We can come back," the same girl who had called out Emily's name said.

Emily shot Paige an apologetic look before she stood up. "Its fine, girls, don't worry about it." Emily glanced back at Paige before she walked away. "Sorry," she mouthed.

Paige didn't have a chance to let Emily know that she didn't have apologize before Emily had walked away. She watched with curiosity as Emily and the two girls stood huddled together and talked. Paige couldn't hear anything that was being said, but it looked like a friendly discussion. That suspicion was confirmed when Emily hugged the two girls and all three of them were smiling. It was then that Paige noticed that the two students were holding hands. After a few more minutes they left and Emily was walking back towards were Paige was still sitting.

"Everything alright?" Paige asked when Emily was back beside her. She had a lot of questions rolling around in her head – namely what Emily was going to ask her before they were interrupted – but opted to go with the safest one.

"Everything is fine," Emily assured Paige. She looked relaxed and happy. "They had just come to share good news with me."

"Am I allowed to ask what that news is or is there some kind of coach-student confidentiality clause that prevents you from answering that question?"

"I think we're good," Emily replied, clearly amused. "Those two are my best swimmers and…"

"A couple?" Paige finished when Emily's voice had trailed off.

Emily was surprised. "How did you even know that?"

"Women's intuition," Paige answered. "Actually, I saw them holding hands and just guessed."

Emily's eyes were warm, but there was something else behind them that Paige couldn't quite figure out. "Oh, that makes sense. Well they've been seeing each other for a few months and they just came out to their parents about their relationship after the meet."

"Everything went well I assume."

Emily nodded. "Everything went great."

Paige's eyes fell on the calm pool water in front of her. "It sure is different than when we went to school."

"You don't have to tell me that." Emily let out a rueful laugh. "Things weren't awful when I came out or anything, but they weren't exactly easy either. It wasn't fun being the center of gossip for the longest time or feeling like I was the only one at school who was different."

Her sexuality was not anything that Paige had discussed when she was in high school. There had been rumours started mostly by guys that didn't like that Paige ignored their "charming" ways but nothing was ever confirmed. "You weren't the only one who was different." Paige's words were met with silence. When she felt daring enough she searched out for Emily's eyes once again. "You were just the only one brave enough to come charging out of the closet."

Emily shook her head, but she didn't appear to be upset. "That's not exactly how it happened, Paige. I didn't choose for things to play out the way they did. I didn't come out of the closet, I fell out. Then I had to deal with things as they happened." There was an awkward silence as neither girl wanted their conversation to turn heavy or go to places that were long forgotten. "Besides, that was years ago," Emily continued. "What's in the past is in the past."

"Any other clichés you want to go for?" Paige asked with a slight smirk. She was glad that they weren't about to open old wounds or feelings that didn't need to be addressed. "I guess that's the coach in you."

Emily pretended to look hurt. "How about 'Don't make fun of the person who is giving you a ride home or you'll end up stranded'? Does that sound good to you?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," Paige saluted, which caused Emily to break and laugh. Paige was feeling more comfortable around Emily than she had probably ever felt. She started to wonder why she was even anxious before.

Emily's expression quickly changed from amused back to worried. She chewed on her bottom lip, in what Paige assumed was a nervous habit. "About earlier…"

Paige gulped hard. She was no longer feeling relaxed or calm.

Emily cleared her throat a few times, all the while continuing to fiddle with the pen in her hand. "I don't even know why this is so hard," Emily said more to herself than to Paige. "Well, I do know why it's hard, but still…" Once again Emily's thought lay hanging in the air. Paige thought about trying to help the other girl out. The problem was she had no clue what Emily was trying to say so she couldn't help even if she wanted to. "So, I did want to ask you something." Emily's eyes found their way back to Paige's. "Did you want to go out with me on Friday night?"

Paige was sure she was hallucinating or dreaming. She didn't know how to respond because she was sure that this wasn't actually happening. Soon enough, she'd wake up at home and none of this would matter.

Emily took Paige's silence as a bad sign. "No pressure or anything. If you don't want to, it's fine. Actually, you can just forget I even said anything. Water under the bridge, you know?"

"Are you," Paige licked her lips, "Are you asking me out on a date?"

She immediately cringed at how lame she sounded. It wasn't her fault. In her mind this was all a figment of her imagination. But the longer she didn't wake up, the more convinced she got that she was, in fact, not dreaming. Even so, it was hard for to comprehend that the girl she had been head over heels for in high school was as an adult, was doing something that Paige thought would never happen.

It was completely overwhelming.

But thrilling at the same time, too.

If that's what Emily was actually doing, Paige still hadn't received confirmation that she wasn't misconstruing the whole situation.

"I was trying to," Emily replied before sighing heavily. "I had kind of practiced what I was going to say to you the next time I saw you, but that didn't…" Emily ducked her head down, her cheeks reddening. "Wow, I have like zero game."

Paige nudged Emily's shoulder with her own, seeing Emily so uneasy had made her calm. "I don't think the blame falls only on you. I can be oblivious at times." Her stomach clenched when Emily gazed back over at her. Paige wasn't sure why one look could affect her so much. "And I think you did pretty well."

"Is that a yes?" Emily asked hopefully.

Forgetting all about her pledge of solitude, Paige answered Emily immediately. "That is a definite yes."

There was no point in playing games. Paige wasn't about that. Besides, the smile that lit up Emily's face when she confirmed their date for Friday night told Paige she had said the right thing. She would do practically anything she realized to have Emily look at her like that.

Emily appeared to be relieved and happy. "Great, that's great." Clearly she wasn't about playing games either. "Does around seven work for you? I can pick you up if you want. Or, if you'd rather, we can just meet somewhere." Emily was starting to ramble again, which Paige found quite adorable. "Which is to say that if you don't—"

"I'm more than happy to have you pick me up," Paige cut in. As cute as Emily was, Paige wasn't opposed to rescuing her from getting carried away. "I am the one with the car that doesn't work after all."

"Good point," Emily said, still grinning. "Speaking of which, I should probably take you home."

Paige didn't actually want that. She wanted to stay with Emily so they could talk more. Or, at the very least, have awkward moments mixed in with some mild flirting and lots of stomach flutters. The feeling was addicting. "Do you think I could get a towel first?" She pointed to her feet. "I didn't quite think this through."

Emily softly chuckled. "Not a problem. I can do that."

After Emily left to go find a towel, Paige sat back in wonderment. She still had a difficult time fathoming that she had an actual date with Emily Fields. There would be time to be wracked with nerves later – and that was going to come – but for now, she was going to relish in the moment.  
\--------------------------------------------  
The next day, Paige was in her office attempting to get some files completed. Every time she tried to concentrate her mind wandered to all things Emily. There had been a moment when they were sitting in Paige's driveway, after Emily had driven her back, that Paige had wondered if they were going to kiss. It was a brief moment, but there had been a spark of something.

In a way, Paige was grateful that Emily's roommate had called at that exact moment. It gave Paige a chance to process and take in everything that had happened. On the other hand, she had thought about what kissing Emily would be like many times. It would have been nice to find out if the reality lived up to the fantasy.

Paige couldn't be disappointed for too long. She had the date with Emily to look forward to. Plus, she'd been exchanging messages with the other girl all morning. It was hard to be in a bad mood when she was feeling almost giddy.

After taking the time to respond to Emily's latest message, Paige tried, yet again, to get back to the mundane task of filling out the files that had been piling up on her desk. Her concentration was broken not by the sound of her phone going off, but by the sound of knocking.

When Paige looked up, she saw a small white flag being waved in the door frame of her office. She knew exactly who was holding that flag. Hanna had been trying to reach her pretty much non-stop, but Paige hadn't really responded back to her.

"Is it safe to come in?" Hanna asked from the other side of the door. Her question was met with silence. Paige didn't think there was anything wrong with letting her friend stew a little bit. After all, Hanna was the one in the wrong here. "I can't take this any longer!" More silence mixed with even more vigorous flag waving. "I'm an ass and an idiot! Please, just talk to me so I can apologize to you."

"I'm kind of busy, Han. Come back later," Paige replied, her voice monotone. If Hanna had popped her head into the office, she would have seen that Paige was fighting not to smile. "Or, you know, come back when you don't have the maturity of a child."

"Paige!" Hanna shrieked. She was almost at the point of panicking. "Pleeeeease! Just give me a chance! I brought you coffee and a cupcake as a peace offering."

"Damn, woman, you know my weakness," Paige said after a few agonizing seconds for Hanna. "Get your ass in here."

Hanna bolted into the chair opposite Paige. She looked contrite and relieved at the same time. "Thank you," she said before handing Paige the promised coffee and cupcake. "You are the best and most forgiving person I know!"

Paige kept her eyes trained on Hanna, her expression was hard and stoic. Just because she wasn't actually annoyed with her friend anymore didn't mean she was ready to let Hanna off the hook just yet. She enjoyed seeing the other girl squirm a little. "Who said anything about forgiveness?" Paige asked before she took a big bite of her cupcake.

Hanna's smile faded and she looked so upset that Paige almost relented. "But I thought—"

"Thought what?" Paige asked rhetorically. "Thought that I was just going to forget how much you humiliated me yesterday? Is that what you thought? Because some people might say that you went too far and crossed a line."

Hanna wasn't sure how to proceed. She thought she was back in Paige's good books, but apparently that wasn't the case. She took a deep breath so she could get out everything she wanted to say. "I really didn't mean to embarrass you. Honest! I don't even know what came over me and then I just couldn't stop. When I got home and told Caleb what happened he got so mad at me, even though I tried to explain that it was all in good fun. He made me realize that I need to stop sometimes and think about my actions before I actually act on them. Honestly, Paige, I just want you to be happy and I've never seen you like this about girl so, instead of backing off like I should have, I tried in my own way to help, which obviously backfired. I'll go to Emily and apologize for ruining everything and then—"

"I think you've done enough in regards to Emily," Paige cut in. The stern expression on her face remained unchanged. "So…" She was going to drag this out as long as possible. "I should probably tell you—"

"Tell me what?" Hanna asked. The wait was excruciating.

"Emily and I have a date on Friday night," Paige answered.

She watched as a myriad of emotions swept over Hanna. She went from confused, to happy, to relieved and then to Paige wasn't quite sure what. "I can't believe you did that to me!" Hanna squealed. She ran over and Paige was sure she was about to be hit. What she got instead was a giant bear hug from the blonde. "I'm not even mad though because oh my God! I knew it! I knew there was a spark between the two of you!" Hanna was practically dancing around the office. "You have a date! It's a miracle!"

Paige wasn't sure if she should be offended or just laugh at Hanna's antics. She chose the latter. "No more caffeine for you until you calm down."

Hanna waved her hand dismissively at Paige. "Whatever, McCullers, even you can't bring me down right now." When she was done relishing in the news, she sat back down. Much calmer, she continued talking. "Jokes aside, I'm really happy for you. And I am sorry about everything. You know I love you, right?"

"I know. I love you too," Paige replied with an eye roll. Her friend might act inappropriately and without thought, but there was no one that had her back like Hanna did. "But promise me something—"

Hanna put her hand over her heart. "I solemnly swear to not do anything to embarrass you or mess with your date. The only thing I will do is offer you support and fashion advice, if you so desire."

Paige couldn't stop herself from laughing. Hanna looked so serious right then. "Come here, you idiot." Hanna raced over for another hug, this time with Paige as a willing participant. "You're unbelievable."

"So I've been told," Hanna replied, feeling so much better than she had before she'd spoken with Paige. The last thing she wanted was to hurt the person she was closest to in the world besides Caleb. "I can't believe you have a date."

Paige wasn't hurt by Hanna's remark. "Me either."

"I hope it's not a sign of the end times or anything," Hanna joked. She couldn't help herself. Paige had left the door wide open for that remark.

Paige rolled up the empty cupcake wrapper that had been sitting on her desk and then threw it at Hanna. "Get out of here. I have work to do."

Hanna had a few more snappy remarks to make – but all said with love – and then she was gone. Paige was left with her thoughts and another message from Emily to reply to.  
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Paige smiled when she saw Emily's name pop up on her phone. She'd been expecting the other girl to call and confirm their plans. The week had dragged on, but it was finally Friday. "Hey, I was wondering when—"

"I'm so sorry, Paige," Emily cut in, sounding really upset. "I have to cancel our date."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra long update to tide you over to next week. Enjoy :)

Chapter 7

Paige's stomach dropped. She knew this had all been too good to true. There had been a sliver of doubt in her mind ever since Emily had asked her out. Now she was regretting that she didn't pay closer to attention the warning her brain was trying to give her. At least she had a newly purchased tub of ice cream in the freezer to help her deal with this crushing disappointment. "Uh, OK, I uh—"

"I don't want to cancel the date," Emily clarified, "but I have to. My roommate had to go out of town suddenly and she was supposed to watch Daisy tonight. I know this is going to sound silly, but I can't leave her alone for that long yet. She's still adjusting to being here. Plus, our place is a mess and I'm sure she'll get into some kind of trouble. I'm so sorry. I can't believe that this is happening."

Paige was almost dizzy. Emily wasn't backing out of their date. Not really. She felt her body relax, even if she was still clutching the phone in her hand tightly. "That's not silly," she assured the other girl. If anyone understood how animals can take priority, it was Paige.

"You're not mad?" Emily asked, still sounding panicked.

Paige wanted to burst out laughing. She was relieved more than anything. "I'm not mad."

An idea popped into her head, which caused her stomach to tighten up once again. "You and Daisy are more than welcome to come to my place," Paige suggested. "I mean, I'm not the world's greatest cook or anything but I can make us something edible. But if you'd rather not—"

"That sounds like a great idea," Emily cut in. "I'm really glad I still get to see you tonight."

Paige was almost certain she was blushing and she was definitely smiling. "I'm glad, too."

They confirmed timing before the call ended and the smile on Paige's face grew even wider. She was actually going on a date with Emily Fields that night.  
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Paige couldn't sit down. She kept walking around her house to make sure that it didn't look like a mess. Not that Paige really had to worry about. She liked to keep her place clean and organized even if she wasn't having company over. But this was Emily. And the idea of Emily in her house was making Paige extra vigilant about not having anything out of place. All in all, she was actually proud of herself for not getting too worked up about Emily's almost-imminent arrival. Sure, she'd freaked out a little, but that was to be expected. She was about to have a date with the girl she liked so much she couldn't even speak to her in high school.

Surprisingly, it had been Hanna that had been the one to put Paige at ease. When Paige had sent her friend a text explaining the change of plans for the night, Hanna didn't tease Paige about it or escalate matters to the point of actually causing panic. She actually offered help—honest to goodness help. She provided meal suggestions and calming words when needed. Even when Paige sent over a picture of what she was wearing – at Hanna's instance – she didn't receive back any kind of snarky remark. Sure, Hanna had called her "a lesbian's wet dream," but Paige knew that was her way of giving a compliment.

Paige was wearing jeans, a white tank top and a plaid button down shirt that she left unbuttoned with the sleeves rolled up. She didn't actually think there was anything special about what she was wearing but Hanna wouldn't stop complimenting her about it.

She continued to walk aimlessly around the house to double and triple check that everything looked OK. Paige was doing her best not to check the time obsessively. A task much easier said than done. When her doorbell chimed, it startled Paige. She had been so focused on not thinking too much about the impending date that she'd zoned out. When she walked by the mirror in the hallway, she gave herself a quick once over and then inhaled sharply before she answered the door.

Paige barely had a chance to say hi to Emily or get a good look at her, before she saw Daisy charging towards her. The force of Daisy jumping up to her sent Paige crashing to the floor, landing right on her ass.

"Daisy! No!" Emily called out, but it was no use.

"It's OK," Paige managed to say, while being on the receiving end of many kisses from Daisy. She started laughing at the absurdity of the situation and how her plan to be suave and charming didn't seem like a viable one anymore. Not that Paige minded one bit. She had missed and thought about Daisy a lot and not just because her owner was Emily.

After a few minutes, Daisy calmed down, allowing Paige to stand up. This time, when she caught site of herself in the mirror, she noticed that her hair was all messed up and she looked a little worse for wear. Instead of getting upset with Daisy, Paige bent down to pet the dog some more.

"You know, I don't generally like to reward that kind of behaviour," Emily said as Paige continued to show affection to Daisy. It was obvious by her tone that she wasn't being serious. "Some might consider you a bad influence."

Paige shrugged, her eyes still on the dog whose tail was moving very excitedly. "I'm like the cool aunt. I don't need to worry about discipline." She was about to continue bantering with Emily when she actually looked up. Daisy had, up until this point, distracted Paige nicely from the purpose of Emily and Daisy's visit. But now that was finally able to get a good look at Emily, she remembered why they were at her house.

Emily wasn't dressed in anything fancy, but Paige thought she looked stunning. Emily had on jeans, a white t-shirt and a black leather vest. Paige knew she was staring, but she couldn't help herself. Emily was smiling at Paige and that caused Paige to feel weak in the knees. She knew she should probably say something—anything—to avoid things getting weird.

It was Emily who ended up speaking first. "Thanks again for having us over tonight." She held up a bottle of wine. "I know you said I didn't need to bring anything, but I couldn't show up empty handed."

"Uh, yeah, no problem," Paige replied. She was proud of herself for coming up with a response that didn't involve her stammering or appearing foolish. In all her dating experience, Emily was the only one who – as cliché as it sounded – had taken Paige's breath away. There was normally this detachment that Paige felt when it came to dating. Not with Emily, though, and not tonight. She took the bottle from Emily even though a part of her was worried that her now sweaty palms could mean she'd drop the bottle all over the floor. "Please come on in."

Emily didn't appear nervous at all, which made Paige somewhat uneasy. She tried not to get too carried away by that or to start freaking out.

Daisy, as it turned out, proved to be a fantastic distraction. Emily still had her on a leash just in case she got out of control, but it was hard to miss that she was excited to be reunited with the person that had saved her life. Paige was happy to receive the affection and attention of Daisy. Once they had put down the bottle of wine and set up Daisy's stuff that Emily had brought with, Paige decided to give the two of them a tour of her place.

Paige was sure she was coming across a bit aloof. It was a byproduct of her nerves and she hoped that Emily didn't think badly of her. When she took a moment to get past her neurosis, Paige was able to acknowledge that at no point since Emily had arrived did she seem uncomfortable or unhappy to be there. It was just the opposite really.

"You have a really nice place," Emily said when the tour was almost done. "It feels so warm and welcoming."

"Thank you," Paige replied. Every time Emily spoke, she had to remind herself that this wasn't a dream. She was about to lead Emily and Daisy back to the living room when Daisy started to bark and jump around a closed door that Paige hadn't opened.

"Daisy, stop," Emily commanded. She tugged gently on the leash and ordered the dog to sit down. Daisy listened, but she wouldn't stop staring at the door.

"That's my bedroom," Paige commented, a tinge of red spreading across her cheeks, "I, uh, kept the door closed because my cats are in there. They aren't always social."

Emily shuffled around on her feet. "I don't know if Daisy will let us leave without getting a chance to say hi to them."

"If you want to see my room, all you have to do is ask." Paige didn't know where that boldness came from, but the reaction she got from Emily made it so worthwhile. At least Paige wasn't the only one blushing now.

"And to think I was just about to compliment you on being a good host," Emily teased back just as boldly.

Paige and Emily stood there grinning at each other for a few seconds before Daisy barked to break the moment between them. They both looked away for a second and then back at one another. Paige was sure if Hanna were around, she'd be teasing them relentlessly.

When Paige opened the door to her room, she was not surprised to find the cats curled up on her bed sleeping. They weren't cuddled together, but they weren't far apart from each other either. Paige glanced back and saw that while Daisy was still sitting, she was getting very excited.

"They are so cute!" Emily exclaimed once she'd walked inside the room with Daisy. She had a soft spot for all animals.

Daisy couldn't hold back any longer. She didn't launch herself up on Paige's bed but she did bark and hop around like she had no control over her body. Both of Paige's cats opened their eyes, gave Daisy the once over and then went back to sleep.

Paige had to hold back her laughter at how disappointed Daisy was not to have made two new friends. "That's OK, Daisy, just give them time. They'll warm up to you eventually."

"What are their names?" Emily asked as they left the two cats in peace.

"Idgie and Ruth."

Emily burst out laughing. "Wow, you are really gay, aren't you?"

Paige turned around. "Lucky for you I am, or we wouldn't be here right now, would we?" she continued to be surprised at what was coming out of her mouth. From what Paige was able to observe, Emily appeared to like this side of her. It was only after Emily started laughing harder that Paige realized this was the first time that she'd explicitly acknowledged that she was gay with Emily. She wondered briefly how the other girl had even known to ask her out.

"Lucky for me, indeed." Emily said, keeping her gaze locked with Paige.

Paige gulped. The mood had suddenly changed from playful to something a lot more charged. She found this both exhilarating and terrifying. It was what she wanted, of course, but what if she was reading things completely wrong? Once again, Paige thought about what Hanna would say if she was in her house. She'd call Paige an idiot for doubting things when Emily had been the one to ask her out, very specifically, on a date.

It's not like Paige wanted her old insecurities to make an appearance. She was certain that if she listened to them, the night would not go well and she would do something to mess the date up.

She was about to take a big risk because she was sick of feelig scared and uncertain. When she'd left Rosewood behind, Paige had taken pride in how open she'd been to taking chances. If her demons wanted a fight, then Paige would be ready. She wasn't going to back down and let her mind win.

"I never got the chance to tell you earlier," Paige started, her voice low, but sure, "mostly because Daisy knocked me on my ass." The two of them laughing at Paige's comment momentarily distracted Paige, but not for long. "But you look really nice."

Emily took two steps forward so she was very much in Paige's personal space. There was a glimmer of something in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered. Their eyes remained locked together and then Emily ran her finger lightly down Paige's top. "You look really nice too."

Paige wanted to smile or do something to indicate that she was happy to receive that compliment that Emily had just given her. But all she could do is stare back at the girl that was inching ever closer to where she was standing. She inhaled sharply when Emily was mere inches from her. The air had become thick with tension and Paige was sure Emily could hear her heart thumping wildly in her chest. When Emily licked her lips, it set off a reaction in Paige that she had no idea was coming.

"Food!" she practically screamed.

Emily stopped moving, a puzzled expression on her face. "Sorry, what?"

"Food," Paige repeated, mentally kicking herself. "Food, you know, uh, I'm supposed to be making food for us to eat and I, uh, should probably go check on that." Paige wasn't sure if Emily was horrified or giving her pity, she couldn't tell. "I'll be right back."

As soon as Paige was in the kitchen, she closed her eyes and gently banged her head against the door. "What the hell am I doing?" Paige mumbled to herself. Her best intentions not to be scared and act foolish, had not gone as planned

She turned the oven on so that her statement about checking on the food wasn't for nothing, all the while giving herself a silent pep talk. Considering she hadn't heard Emily leave, Paige took that as a good sign. She did some deep breathing exercises and eventually her heart rate returned to a somewhat normal speed.

When Paige left the safety of the kitchen, she was relieved to find Emily and Daisy waiting for her in the living room. Both of them perked up when they spotted Paige walking into the room. "Sorry about that," Paige started, she was sure she was blushing a little. "Just had a few things to check on."

Emily gave Paige a very warm smile. "Don't apologize. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Absolutely not," Paige replied with a shake of her head. "You're my guest." She was about to sit down when she realized that she hadn't offered Emily a drink. "Can I open up that bottle of wine you brought and pour you a glass?" Selfishly, Paige thought, she could really use something to calm her nerves.

"I would love that." Emily was absentmindedly scratching behind Daisy's ear.

Paige left Emily again, but at least this time she wasn't fleeing the scene like a big scaredy cat. She managed to pour two glasses of wine without spilling anything.

"Here you go." Paige said, handing one of the glasses to Emily. She was thankful her hand wasn't shaking or doing anything to betray to Emily what she was feeling inside.

"Thank you," Emily said. She took a few sips as she and Paige sat there in silence. It seemed like neither girl knew what to say next. "This is good wine."

Paige nodded in agreement, "Mmm, it is. Thanks again for bringing it with."

Emily let out a quiet laugh. "I think the two of us have impeccable manners, that much is clear."

"We would make Ms. Manners proud," Paige quipped. She was glad that Emily had made a joke because it stopped the polite cycle they were in and because she had once again diffused a potentially weird moment. When Paige had suggested having the date at her house, she never realized how different it would be to going out for dinner or some other kind of first date activity. Being with Emily in her home was for more intimate than she thought it would be. Perhaps it was a good thing that Paige didn't understand what she was getting into; it didn't give her a chance to back out. "While the food is cooking, how about I show you the backyard? It's a nice night out."

"Lead the way," Emily said standing up.

Paige wanted to tell the other girl what a beautiful smile she had, but she remained quiet. She wondered if Emily could sense how much Paige was battling internally during their date. She hoped not. More than anything, Paige wanted to enjoy the night and get to know Emily. She had developed a crush on someone she barely knew many years ago. Now, she was getting the chance to see if the Emily she had imagined was anything close to who Emily was today.

Daisy once again proved to be a very good distraction, which allowed Paige to calm down. The dog seemed to think she owned the place, running around a lot and investigating every inch of Paige's backyard. The amount of energy that Daisy had was such a stark contrast to the dog that Paige had first met. It warmed Paige's heart to see Daisy having such a good time.

"She's going to need a bath when I get her home," Emily said while the two of them watched Daisy run around the backyard. Just when it seemed like she might be tired, something else would catch her eye and she'd be off again. "I thought walking here with her instead of driving would maybe tire her out a little. I guess I was wrong."

"Really wrong," Paige replied very amused. "She's like the Energizer Bunny." Paige sipped her wine and tried not to stare too much at Emily, who was sitting on the other side of the table.

Emily, who didn't seem to be worried about looking at her date like Paige was, studied the other girl quite intently. "Seeing her like this, or any other animal you make better, must be an incredible feeling."

"You have no idea," Paige put her glass down. "I wish I could describe to you what it's like. It's amazing."

At that moment, Daisy came over to Paige with something in her mouth. Paige had to laugh because she had no idea where Daisy would have found a ball in her backyard. But she had, and now Daisy wanted to play. Paige obliged the dog and threw the ball the length of the yard. Daisy charged after the ball and was then back at Paige's side in no time. Paige continued to throw the ball while she chatted with Emily. "It makes the bad cases, the ones I can't help or fix, easier to deal with."

Emily sat back in her chair, a serious look on her face. "I don't know how you deal with that at all, but I'm glad you do. They need someone to look after them."

Paige dipped her head down. The attention from Emily was unnerving. "I wouldn't trade what I do for anything. I'm the lucky one though, the people and the animals that I work with make it all worthwhile."

"Should I be worried that Daisy seems to love you more than she loves me?" Emily asked, amused. Every time Paige made a move or even glanced in Daisy's direction, the dog responded with tail wag. It was adorable. They were playing catch like they'd been the best of friends for years.

Paige chuckled and shook her head. "It's just a bit of puppy love, so to speak. I'm sure she'll get over it very soon."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Paige." Emily replied, her tone was assured. "Especially when…"

Paige quirked her eyebrow when Emily didn't finish what she was trying to say. "Especially when, what?"

Emily waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind, it's nothing."

Both girls went quiet. Paige didn't know what was going on and Emily kept her eyes anywhere but on Paige. The only noise was the sound of the occasional car driving by and Daisy continuing to play with Paige. When Daisy finally seemed to be worn out, Emily excused herself to get Daisy's water bowl from inside the house.

"What do you think?" Paige asked as Daisy relished in the pats and cuddles she was getting from Paige. "Am I making a fool of myself or doing OK?" Daisy cocked her head up at Paige and then barked. "Too bad I don't speak dog, right, girl?"

When Emily returned, Daisy went over to get some water and some praise from her owner. She could never get enough praise. Then it was Paige's turn to head inside. She wanted to check on the food and also wash her hands. Plus the break from Emily gave her a chance to evaluate herself on how she was doing. All things considered, Paige thought the date was going pretty well. Even with her sometimes erratic behaviour.

The first thing that Paige noticed when she went back outside was that Emily was frowning and appeared to be deep in thought. The second thing she noticed was that Daisy on the ground, curled up beside Emily.

"Shouldn't be too long now," Paige said when she sat back down. She was trying not to get too worried about the change in Emily's mood. "I hope you're hungry."

Emily offered Paige a weak smile and then a curt nod. Paige couldn't figure out what was going on. She wracked her brain to think what could have changed with the other girl in such a short period of time. It didn't help matters that her brain automatically assumed that whatever it was with Emily, it had to be something bad.

"I probably shouldn't be telling you this," Emily started ominously, her eyes fixed on a spot just past Paige's head, "In fact, I'm almost positive I shouldn't be, but…"

Paige went wide eyed, as she failed to remain composed.

"I think-I think I've made a bad impression on you," Emily said, further confusing Paige. Where was this coming from? She couldn't figure out what was going on and why the night now appeared to be headed somewhere unpleasant. "I really need to apologize and explain myself."

Paige was tempted to laugh because that was a natural reaction for her when she was nervous. But she fought for control because Emily looked really upset. "What are you talking about? Are you, uh, not having a good time or something?" Paige hated that she had to ask that question. She was finally starting to feel comfortable and Emily was clearly headed in the other direction.

Emily remained quiet for what felt like hours to Paige. She was clearly struggling with how to express herself. Finally, she took a deep breath, like she was almost resigned to what was about to happen. "This is embarrassing and I don't even know—" She got quiet again before she found the courage or determination to continue. "When we were in high school, I had the biggest crush on you."

At the exact moment that Emily confessed to Paige the feelings that she'd long kept hidden from the other girl, Paige was taking a drink of wine. Emily's words took Paige by complete and utter surprise. So much so that the wine went down the wrong way and Paige started to choke. She leapt to her feet as wine came out her nose and her mouth. She was coughing profusely.

Emily looked horrified and shell shocked. Clearly she didn't think her confession would have this kind of response. Her first reaction wasn't to clean up the mess. But instead she rushed over to Paige's side to rub the other girl's back. Unfortunately Paige couldn't stop coughing or say anything to assure Emily she was OK.

Emily wasn't the only one who was worried about Paige. Daisy was had bolted over to her and was pushing her way between the two girls to see for herself what was going on. She nuzzled Paige's leg and whined a little as well.

"I'm fine," Paige croaked out, her voice raw. She couldn't believe what Emily had said to her and she couldn't believe what she had just done.

"Are you sure?" Emily asked. She was concerned and freaked out. When Paige nodded she left the backyard, but not before assuring Paige that she'd be right back. Seconds later she emerged from the house with a role of paper towels and a glass of water in her other hand. "Here, drink this," she ordered. While Paige slowly sipped the water, she watched as Emily dutifully cleaned up the wine that was all over the table. "Sit," Emily said, which Paige did, as did Daisy.

Paige took a few paper towels from Emily to clean herself up. She noticed that Emily was focusing a lot on cleaning up the mess and not at all on Paige. Not that Paige blamed her. She was probably horrified at what Paige had just done. Once Paige was sufficiently composed, she realized she had to have some response to what Emily had said. The problem was, she didn't know what to say. Part of her was tempted to ask if this was all a practical joke of some kind. After all, what other reason could Emily have to say something like that? There was no way it was true, Paige reasoned.

"No you didn't" is what came out of Paige's mouth after many excruciating minutes of silence from both girls.

"What?" Emily asked, her brows furrowed.

"You didn't have a crush on me," Paige stated like it was fact.

"Yes, I did." Emily replied, sounding defensive. "Look, I know I came on strong and you're probably—"

"You didn't have a crush on me." Paige repeated stubbornly. She wasn't going to accept Emily's confession when it couldn't be true. It just couldn't.

Emily laughed without sounding amused. "Are you seriously going to sit there and tell me what I did or didn't feel?" At first she was upset but she was starting to get angry.

Daisy looked between Paige and Emily, her tail wagging. She watched the pair go back and forth on a point that shouldn't be up for discussion.

"Stop telling me things that aren't true!" Paige demanded. Now, she was the one getting angry.

"Do you know how hard that was for me to say?" Emily asked. She couldn't believe her feelings were getting dismissed.

Paige wasn't really listening to Emily as her ability to be reasonable went out the window. She had a carefully crafted idea of what high school was like for and who she was back then. The idea that she could be wrong or have missed an opportunity was not anything she wanted to acknowledge. It was too much for her to handle.

"You didn't have a crush on me," Paige repeated for a third time. She sounded defeated. "You didn't."

"Paige, what's going on?" Emily asked.

"I know who I was back then," Paige said. She was tearing the paper towel in her hands into little pieces. "And I know who you were. So the idea that one of the most popular girls in school would have a crush on me isn't possible."

The frustration that Emily had been feeling started to fade. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, I do." Paige wouldn't concede this point. "Why would anyone like you have ever given anyone like me a second look?"

Never in a million years did Emily think she'd have to justify her high school feelings for Paige to Paige. "You have no idea, do you?"

Paige continued to avoid eye contact with Emily. "No idea about what?"

"This is the craziest thing," Emily said more to herself than to Paige. Emily went quiet and only continued what she had planned to say when Paige eventually found the nerve to look at her date again. "You have no idea how I saw you back then, do you?"

"Obviously not," Paige replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. If she wasn't too intent on arguing with Emily, she'd kick herself for being kind of jerk. Paige simultaneously wanted to end the date at that very moment and find out what Emily thought of her. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. What's in the past is in the past."

"It really does matter." Emily kept her voice soft. She searched Paige's eyes for some kind of understanding but found only defiance. She couldn't believe how badly she had read the situation.

"I know who I was," Paige said trying not to sound as rude as she had been "I know perfectly well that I was never someone to have a crush on. Trust me."

Emily shook her head sadly. "You're so wrong. One of the things I liked most about you was how you didn't get involved in any of the petty crap that people do in high school. You were above all of that."

"I was a loner who avoided people at all cost," Paige replied quickly. She wasn't embarrassed to have said that to Emily. She was too upset to care about how she was coming across.

"You were strong."

Paige wasn't about to let Emily tell her who she was back then. "I was angry a lot of the time."

But, if anything, Emily was more stubborn than Paige, which meant she wasn't about to concede anything to the other girl. "You were competitive and a great teammate."

Paige snorted. "How do you even know that? We hardly spoke and we swam together for four years."

"Do you remember that big relay race we lost our junior year?" When Paige nodded in response to Emily's question, she went on. "Stacey was inconsolable because she had messed up and we lost. I knew it wasn't her fault and even I was upset with her. But I saw you, Paige. I saw you go up to her and hug her and tell her that she shouldn't blame herself. I saw you hug her and sit with her until she had calmed down. And that's just one example of so many that I could give you."

"It was no big deal." Paige shrugged off Emily's compliment.

"I loved how competitive you were." Emily ignored Paige. "You always went for it in the water. You never held back and you never let fear stop you."

That comment was too much for Paige. She couldn't hold back her laughter. Emily didn't know her at all.

Emily let out a frustrated grunt. "Why are you trying to talk me out of the crush I had on you?"

"Because." Paige paused, trying to gather her thoughts, "Because—" She grew annoyed with herself for lacking the words to tell Emily what it was she was feeling. She stood up and paced back and forth in an effort to figure out what it actually was that she wanted to tell Emily.

And it's not like Emily was just some random person who she was on a date with. A date, that Paige now knew for certain had gone horribly wrong. It wasn't just in her head anymore. She was blowing this chance and in that moment, she didn't actually care. What Emily told her didn't free her from the person she was. It made her feel suffocated. How could Emily be so wrong about the person who she was – even if that person was not who she was today?

It's not like Paige wanted to be feeling this way. And it wasn't just about blowing her chance with Emily – that would be dealt with later – it was more about feeling like she couldn't escape from that girl in high school. If Paige was capable of looking at things objectively, she'd realize that who she was back then, shaped who she was today. And, even if she didn't like who she was back when she was Emily's teammate, it didn't mean that other people couldn't see her for the person she actually was. Not the anger, not the frustration, not the insecurity and not the fear. That wasn't what defined Paige, in spite of what she thought.

"Because," Paige tried for a third time, "you're killing the narrative I had for those shitty years." Whatever Emily was going to think of her after this, Paige couldn't know. "You're sitting there telling me that everything I knew to be true wasn't. Don't you get how hard that is for me to hear? I was the pathetic loser and—"

"No you weren't," Emily cut in forcibly. She stood in front of Paige so the other girl would have to listen. "I never saw you that way, ever."

"But I did." Paige's voice cracked. She was willing herself not to cry – something she hated doing at the best of times. She wasn't able to stop her eyes from getting teary however.

"This is not at all how I saw this conversation going," Emily admitted, her eyes imploring Paige to listen to her. "I kept-I kept thinking you knew about my crush and that's why…" Emily sighed, it wasn't just Paige that was struggling to articulate her feelings. "Look, Paige, I can't tell you what to feel or what not to feel. I can't tell you to believe me, if you won't. Here's the thing, I regretted never telling you how I felt back then. I really did and when I saw you at the shelter I wasn't going to let myself miss an opportunity with you again."

Paige couldn't breathe probably as she listened to Emily talk. The other girl's words sounded sincere and heartfelt.

"I was sure I was coming on too strong, but I didn't care because I was getting a chance to fix something I had always wanted to fix." Emily hoped she was getting through to Paige. "I didn't want you to think I was pushing too much without giving you the back story as to why I've been acting the way I've been acting. I had no intention of upsetting you."

"Upsetting me?" Paige was trembling, but it wasn't out of anger or frustration, it was out of nerves – the good kind. What Emily was trying to communicate was finally getting through to Paige. "The girl that I liked but never told because I'm was terrified of being gay asked me out on a date, and you think that's a bad thing?"

"Yeah, but I showed up at your house – totally on a fluke, I swear – I asked you to come to that meet, I…" Emily paused when she realized exactly what Paige had just said. "You, liked me?"

Paige nodded and then shook her head, "Emily, you're gorgeous, and sweet, and I was hopelessly crazy about you even though I knew you'd never like me back."

"I never thought you liked me." Emily replied. It was now her turn to be surprised.

"Clearly, we're idiots," Paige said hoping a little joke would diffuse the situation. "All this time, both of us…" Paige's eyes fell to the ground and her stomach sank. She was thinking of what could have been if she hadn't been to terrified to speak up.

"Don't look away," Emily pleaded. This moment was too important and she had waited too long for this chance. Whatever was going to happen she needed to experience this and be in the present with Paige.

This wasn't a big moment with fireworks or revelations. It was a small moment—intimate, even. It was as if no one existed in the world except for the two of them.

Paige started into Emily's big brown eyes, and the wall she'd built around her heart crumbled away. Whatever was going to happen from this moment forward, she would not be driven by fear or self doubt. And that, Paige thought to herself, was exactly how it should be.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Paige wanted to kiss Emily.

She'd thought a lot about what kissing Emily would be like and now seemed like an opportunity to see if the reality of kissing Emily lived up to what she had imagined. Paige had goosebumps from how close together they were standing.

The night was intense but not in a way that made Paige want to leave or break eye contact. There was an anticipation building between the two of them. Paige was almost certain that Emily wanted to kiss her as well. She might have ignored the signs before when it was possible to ignore them, but the shy smile on Emily's face and the way her eyes darted every few seconds to Paige's lips before returning back to her eyes were good indicators of what Emily wanted.

And now that the air had cleared between them, Paige could see things a lot better than she had before. It was amazing what she noticed now that her hang-ups weren't distorting the messages Emily was sending her way.

On the other hand, Paige felt raw and vulnerable having to confront her past. Finding out that Emily had feelings for her in high school was a lot to take in. It forced her to reconstruct the narrative she'd told herself over and over in the years since, and that was making her more than a little insecure.

But Paige definitely wanted to kiss Emily. Just not quite yet.

She hoped that Emily would understand and not be upset that she was going to take a step back. Something told Paige that she needed to give Emily the benefit of the doubt.

"This has been quite the night," Paige said, her voice quiet and soft.

"And to think," Emily replied, her head tilted to one side, the warm smile she'd been sporting for the last few minutes, still plastered on her face, "we're just getting started."

Paige shivered at Emily's words. There were many different ways for that statement to be interpreted and no matter which way she looked at it, it could only mean good things. "I should probably get cleaned up." Paige still had wine all over her neck and shirt. "I won't be long."

Emily nodded and then moved away from Paige. "Take your time."

Paige let her eyes linger on Emily for a few seconds before making her way inside. As she passed by Emily she quickly squeezed Emily's hand to give her reassurance that she wasn't hiding or running away. Paige's stomach tightened at the contact with Emily and tingles erupted through out her body. From the expression on Emily's face, Paige wasn't the only one reacting to the body contact.

She exhaled as soon as she entered the house. For the first time all night, she felt like she could breathe without restriction. She smiled to herself as she walked to her room. Although she was still nervous and on edge, it was different now. She couldn't see a cloud of doom on the horizon and she wasn't thinking about everything that could go wrong.

Paige was now thinking about everything that could go right.

She quickly discarded the two shirts she'd been wearing and threw them in her hamper. She made sure to wash up in the bathroom as quickly as possible. Instead of spending too much timing worrying about what to wear, Paige put on her favourite Captain America t-shirt. Paige figured there was no point in spending time trying to impress someone who already seemed to like her very much.

It was only when Paige was out of her bedroom that she smelled smoke. "Shit!" she exclaimed before running to the kitchen. When she opened the oven door, it was clear that dinner was ruined. The casserole she'd spent the afternoon frantically making was a charred mess. Paige turned the fan on quickly to avoid setting off the smoke alarm.

When Paige opened the sliding door to the backyard, she noticed that Emily and Daisy perked up. It was hard not get distracted by the warm sensation that spread throughout her chest. "So, unless you like very burnt food, I'm sorry to say that we're not about to eat dinner any time soon." Paige kept the door open to air out her house. "I'd try to make us something else, but I'm worried I'll burn the house down."

Emily's eyes sparkled as she laughed at Paige's joke. "We wouldn't want that. I'm game to ordering pizza, if you are?"

"I think I can do that without injuring anyone or causing any damage," Paige said, returning Emily's smile.

Paige brought out a take out menu from a local pizza place she frequented when she was too tired to cook. They decided on what they wanted and then briefly argued about who would pay for dinner. Both girls were stubborn and neither wanted to put the other one out. Ultimately, Paige won because she insisted that at they were at her house and so she had the final say.

"Fine," Emily drawled out, "but don't think I won't get you back for this."

"Like you scare me," Paige bantered back.

"Are you sure about that?" Emily asked sounding very pleased with herself. She scooted close to Paige and then leaned in so her lips were right by Paige's ear. "Really sure?"

Paige gulped as the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Emily was closer to her than she had possibly ever been. Paige could feel Emily's warm breath on the skin of her neck and it made Paige quiver. She was sure that if she tried to move, her legs would give way and she'd tumble to the ground.

Without another word, Emily moved back to where she had previously been standing. She looked like she had just won something.

Paige struggled to get her breathing under control. She looked over at Emily and gulped again. The way that Emily was staring at her made Paige wonder what she'd done to deserve this chance at something so good. It was obviously early to be thinking about anything long term, but even to have this opportunity was more than Paige had ever dared to hope for.

"Yeah, I'm, uh, sure," Paige said, her voice ragged. She wasn't about to back down and she had a feeling that Emily would appreciate that she didn't.

Emily smirked at Paige. She was clearly challenging the other girl and was enjoying herself immensely. "I guess we'll have to test that theory at some point, won't we?"

Paige needed to cool off. She was overheating and the night was only getting started. "I'm, um-I'm going to get myself another drink, do you want more wine, or maybe a beer?"

"I'll have what you're having."

When Paige opened the fridge, she felt immediate relief from the cool air that hit her warm body. She felt flushed and almost light headed. She grabbed two beers, one for herself and one for Emily. Beer seemed a much more appropriate choice for refreshment now that dinner had changed into something a lot more casual. Paige took a big sip of her drink on her way out to the backyard. Even with the break from Emily, she still felt heated.

Paige smiled when she saw that Daisy was sitting by Emily. She must have gotten enough rest and looked to have her energy back. Not so much so that she was getting out of control. The way her tail was wagging made it clear that she was having a good night.

"How do you feel about eating here?" Paige asked after she'd handed Emily the second beer she'd brought with. "It seems too nice outside to eat inside."

"Sounds good," Emily responded as she continued to rub Daisy's head. "I should probably think of getting this one's dinner ready as well. She famished."

As Emily left to go get Daisy's food, Paige couldn't stop herself from letting her eyes roam over Emily's body. She was so used to stealing glances at Emily back in school that it felt unusual to be doing it so openly now.

Paige was distracted by watching Emily that she didn't notice, until it was too late, that Emily was watching her right back. Paige turned a very deep shade of red even though Emily didn't seem too upset by what she was doing. Instead of saying anything, she shrugged her shoulders awkwardly and that caused Emily to giggle softly.

"I don't think my heart can handle this," Paige said to Daisy once they were alone in the backyard. The dog had come over to Paige for some attention. "Not that I'm complaining," Paige continued without caring that Daisy couldn't answer her back. "But wow, just wow."

As much as Daisy loved Paige, as soon as she realized that Emily was coming outside with her food, she took off without looking back at the vet. She tore into her food like she hadn't eaten in days.

"We're working on her table manners," Emily joked. This time when she sat at the table in Paige's backyard, she made sure to sit not on the other side of the table, but right next to her date.

Paige responded with a chuckle but then got serious. "You have no idea how much I like seeing her like this."

Emily didn't respond with words. Instead, she put her hand on top of Paige's while they both watched Daisy continue to devour her food. Paige looked over at Emily and smiled at the gesture before they both returned their focus on the dog.

One of the many things that Paige liked about getting a chance to spend this time with Emily was how neither of them felt the need talk every moment. It was nice to have the quiet and just enjoy each other's company. Of course it helped matters that during this particular round of silence, Paige got to experience the sensation of having Emily's hand on top of hers. Her skin prickled every time Emily moved her hand. It amazed her how acutely aware she was of Emily's actions when she was this close.

Paige was about to ask Emily if she could offer her anything to snack on while they waited for the food to arrive when the doorbell rang. Emily was charged with keeping Daisy in the backyard while Paige had the task of getting dinner. It was the practical thing to do and it kept Paige from worrying that Emily was going to swoop in and pay for the pizza. She knew that Emily knew what she was doing. And somewhere in Paige's mind, she hoped that her move would result in payback from Emily.

"I'm starved," Emily said after Paige had returned to the backyard. As if on cue her stomach growled causing her to blush.

Paige rolled her eyes. "I've been knocked on my ass and choked on my drink, I think you can handle a little bit of embarrassment on our date so it's not just me that suffers."

It was Emily's turn to roll her eyes at a bemused looking Paige. "Dish the food, McCullers."

"Touchy, touchy." Paige laughed at how annoyed Emily was. She might be completely smitten by the other girl, but that didn't mean she couldn't have fun at Emily's expense.

Emily pretended to be angry when she snatched the plate of food away from Paige. She gave Paige quite the side eye and that only made Paige laugh harder. They quipped back and forth between bites of food, but thankfully there were no further embarrassing moments to be had.

While Paige was working on her third slice of pizza, she noticed that Daisy had moved closer to her chair. She was panting slightly and her focus was squared directly on the food in Paige's hand.

"Don't even think about it!" Emily warned in a very stern voice.

"What?" Paige was trying to act innocent without any success. "I'm not doing anything!"

Emily sat up in her chair. "That's a big fat lie. You are not sharing your food with Daisy."

Paige wanted to tell Emily about the food she'd given Daisy to fatten her up when she was still at the shelter. She wanted to tell Emily that a bite here or there wouldn't be a big deal. She wanted to tell Emily that she was completely misreading the situation. She ended up going with, "But look at her face! And how she's staring at me! I can't help it."

Emily shook her head and looked disappointed. "Aren't you the professional here? Shouldn't you be the one telling me what is good for Daisy and what's not good for her?"

"But those eyes!" Paige countered. "Look at them! How am I supposed to say no?"

"Easy, you do it like this." Emily turned her body so she was facing Daisy. "No!" Then, using her hand for emphasis, she added, "Go and sit."

Daisy tried to plead her case with Paige, but ultimately listened to Emily. She sat on the edge of the grass and tried her best to look sad. At least that's how Paige read the situation.

"You know," Emily started, her tone softer than when she was speaking to Daisy, "if you're planning to spend more time with me, and with Daisy, too, you'll have to learn to say no to her."

Before Paige could think of anything snarky to say, she grinned. She liked the idea of spending more time with Daisy but especially with Emily. "That's a very good point. I will take it under consideration."

Their meal continued and Emily had to remind Paige only a few more times that she wasn't to share food with Daisy. The conversation was light and easy – a welcome change from the emotional upheaval from earlier on in the evening.

"I should not have had that fourth piece," Emily groaned as she rubbed her stomach.

"I never pegged you for a light weight," Paige teased. She downed the last of her beer and then rather dramatically slammed the bottle on the table.

Emily pouted. "How dare you make fun of me when I'm suffering like I am."

"Nobody made you have that fourth piece!" Paige laughed and tried not to get too distracted by how adorable Emily's pout was. Truth be told, there were a lot of things that Emily did that Paige found distracting.

"Pizza has a hold on me," Emily replied with a shrug. "I can't help it."

Paige stood up and then put out her hand for Emily to take. "Come on, we'll take Daisy for a walk around the block. I'm sure it will make you feel better. Plus, you have to make room for dessert."

"Why didn't say something about dessert before?" Emily asked, perking up considerably. "There's always room for dessert, especially if chocolate is involved."

"There may be chocolate involved; there may not be," Paige said slyly.

Emily gripped Paige's hand and let the other girl pull her to her feet. Inevitably, and because it had been that kind of night, when Paige yanked on Emily's arm, it sent Emily crashing into a very surprised but not unhappy Paige. Neither girl complained about the contact. In fact, they both appeared to have enjoyed it, as they were both smiling like a couple of bashfully smitten school girls.

Daisy sensed what was going on and started to get excited. She loved going for a walk. That excitement was multiplied because she was going with her two favourite people in the world. Emily held on to Daisy's leash as the three of them made their way around Paige's neighbourhood.

"This does not feel like a first date." Emily remarked while they strolled along.

Paige wasn't sure what she meant by that statement. "Is, uh, is that a bad thing?"

Emily quickly shook her head, "No, not at all. It's just…" She paused to gather her thoughts. "First dates can be so formal and uncomfortable. I don't know. But they aren't usually like this." She saw the confusion etched on Paige's face and stifled a laugh. "I'm not making myself clear, but it's definitely not a bad thing."

Paige mulled over what Emily had said. "I think I see what you're saying. First dates usually suck." Emily nodded in response. "And this doesn't suck at all, so clearly we're doing something wrong."

"Exactly!" Emily exclaimed excitedly.

"I've made an ass out of myself and we've already had a heart-to-heart talk," Paige continued. "We probably need lessons on how to do this first date better."

"I think you might be right. Or," Emily said, tapping on her chin like she was deep in thought, "we can just say screw it and throw dating rules out the window. You know, throw caution to the wind and all that kind of stuff."

"Why, Ms. Fields, that sounds positively dangerous," Paige said before she started laughing.

Emily stopped walking and when Paige saw that she'd left Emily behind she went back to her date. "Like, take right now for example," Emily said quietly. "Some people might not think there's anything special about this place or this moment, but…"

Paige's pulse quickened at the sudden shift in direction that Emily was taking. Her stomach fluttered and she was acutely aware of every nerve ending she had. She wanted to ask Emily to finish what she was going to say, but Paige's throat was suddenly dry and she couldn't speak. Out of the corner of Paige's eye, something caught her attention and she momentarily looked away from Emily's very intense gaze.

When Paige saw what was happening, she couldn't contain the laughter that bubbled it's way up her throat. She wanted to explain to Emily what had caused her to lose control. If only she could stop laughing long enough to do that.

Emily went from disappointed to confused. She finally looked behind her to see what Paige found so funny. As soon as she spotted Daisy going to the bathroom, she joined Paige in laughing at the absurdity of the moment.

"So romantic," Paige managed to get out before dissolving into laughter once again.

The rest of their walk consisted mostly of attempts at conversation only to be thwarted by giggling fits when they made eye contact. Even though so many things were going "wrong," they were both enjoying everything about this night.

Emily let Daisy off the leash as soon as they stepped inside Paige's house. She made her way over to her doggy bed and immediately got comfortable on it. She was curled up with her eyes closed in no time.

"I think we finally tuckered her out," Paige remarked when she saw where Daisy was. "You ready to head back outside?"

"Let me just clean up," Emily replied which elicited another chuckle from Paige.

Paige dodged Emily's attempt to playfully hit her arm. Once Emily had given up her quest to get Paige back, she went to the kitchen, got two drinks for them and then went to the backyard. She couldn't help but stop and take a moment to watch Daisy sleep. She loved that the dog was so comfortable in her home. She hoped more than anything that this wasn't going to be the only time she got to host Emily and Daisy in her house.

Paige put the beers down on her table. She decided to move to the two lawn chairs that she had. She figured it would be nice to lie in them, side by side with Emily, and get to look at the clear night sky. While she waited she tried really hard not to think about kissing Emily.

They had finally established an easy, relaxed air between them. Conversation was flowing and the awkwardness had been minimized. It was smart, Paige reasoned, to let things continue to smoothly and then worry about kisses or second dates later on that night. Why push anything to happen when it should just happen naturally?

Then Paige thought about what it was like to have Emily inches from her. She thought about the way Emily's eyes seemed to shine when they were focused on Paige. She thought about how scared she used to be all the time and would never take any chances. She thought about how she was almost positive that Emily wanted to kiss her as well. She thought about the obvious chemistry she felt with Emily. She thought about a hundred other things that all lead to one decision.

"There, much better," Emily said after she'd closed the sliding door behind her.

Paige whirled around, her eyes immediately connecting with Emily. She took three long strides to make her way over the girl that she had never stopped thinking about.

Emily didn't sense the change in Paige or see the look of determination on her Paige's face. "So, what's next on this date that—"

Paige cut Emily off, not with words, but with the stroke of her hand. Paige cupped Emily's cheek and then began to move her hand softly around Emily's skin. Emily shivered, and it didn't go unnoticed by Paige. She hadn't made a move yet, wanting to savour this moment and wanting to make sure that Emily had every chance to stop what was about to happen.

But Emily wasn't moving or stopping anything.

Paige saw Emily's eyes flutter in anticipation. She felt Emily take a step towards her. She smelt the sweet scent of whatever perfume Emily had on. She heard the softest gasp escape Emily's mouth. And then, she touched Emily's soft lips with her own.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more chapters left until this fic is finished. Thanks for reading! And thanks to anyone who has left a comment/kudos.

Chapter 9

Paige was tempted to stop kissing Emily just to make sure it wasn't happening in her head. But then Emily put her hand on Paige's hip and pressed herself right into Paige, and Paige knew she was not, as she had suspected, simply imagining it. She kept her eyes closed as her lips moved against Emily's just in case, though.

There was no urgency in the kiss. It was sweet and gentle as the two girls finally experienced what they had both wanted for the longest time. Paige wanted more than anything to remember every second, every feeling, every sensation of what kissing Emily was like. This wasn't a first kiss for Paige—there had been others—but in that moment it felt like every other kiss had never happened.

They nearly broke the kiss when Emily ran her fingers gently through Paige's hair. Paige wasn't prepared for it, and she certainly wasn't prepared for how it increased everything so suddenly. Her knees almost buckled at the sensation and the intimacy she felt in Emily's touch.

Paige's lungs burned for oxygen, but the need to keep Emily's lips on hers won out. She didn't want to stop the connection she felt with Emily. There was a pull to Emily that Paige had felt even back in high school – she was just too scared to do anything about it back then. Tonight, that fear was gone. There were still so many things for Paige to worry about, but this kiss once and for all confirmed for Paige that what she was experiencing was not one-sided.

Eventually, Paige pulled away. When she opened her eyes to check in on Emily and to silently communicate that she didn't actually want to stop the kiss, the expression on Emily's face made Paige shudder.

"I didn't-" Paige paused to catch her breath. "I didn't want to wait until the end of our date to kiss you."

Emily's eyes fluttered closed before they opened back up. Her chest was moving up and down like she also needed to regulate her breathing. "If I haven't told you this before, you have really good ideas."

Paige smiled warmly at Emily. She couldn't believe that this was real. Emily was right in front of her, looking like she was just as affected by the kiss as Paige was.

Although Paige felt like she could have spent hours kissing Emily, she didn't want to do that just yet. She was enjoying spending time with her and getting to know the person behind the image that Paige had concocted in her mind. She did not feel pressure to turn things physical even with her body screaming for more. There was no rush.

It gave Paige great piece of mind to know that what lay ahead with Emily had time to develop. Sure, she was making assumptions, but Paige got the sense from Emily that she wasn't the only one thinking this way.

Emily was actually the one that steered their evening back to where it had been headed. "Daisy is passed right out," Emily said before she created some distance between herself and Paige.

Under normal circumstances, Paige probably would have panicked at Emily's sudden need for distance. But the was different. This time Paige was certain that they were on the same page. "I think I can hear her snoring," she said, glancing briefly to the house.

Paige let out a soft laugh and then handed Emily the beer that she'd brought outside with her. She'd almost forgotten it in the haze that came with kissing Emily. Paige's heart was still beating erratically and her face felt flushed. Not that she cared if Emily saw the effect that the kiss had on her. She'd imagined what kissing Emily would be like and nothing could compare to how it had actually felt.

Paige noticed the goosebumps on her arm and smiled. She definitely wasn't cold. If this was how her body reacted to one kiss from Emily, she wondered what would happen if things escalated further. It was a bit daunting and somewhat scary to think about it, but Paige wasn't going to let herself get spooked. She'd waited what seemed like forever for this opportunity and never thought it was even possible. She owed it to herself and to Emily to let whatever was going to happen happen, without letting her own hang-ups get in the way. Even with the knowledge that tonight was not going to be a one-time thing, Paige wasn't going to get ahead of herself. She was on a date with a woman who she was absolutely charmed by and that was enough for now. She planned to enjoy whatever came next without being concerned about things too far down the line.

They sat down in the chairs Paige had laid out for them, neither really knowing what to say, so they remained silent, choosing to exchange shy glances between taking sips from their drink and looking up at the clear night sky.

When Paige glanced back over to Emily, she saw glint of mischievousness in Emily's eyes. She was not prepared for the question that Emily was about to ask her.

"Why are you single?"

For the second time that night, Emily caught Paige by surprise right as she was taking a sip of her drink. This time, Paige didn't choke or spit out her beer everywhere. She did come up coughing a little once she had managed to swallow the liquid in her mouth. "Wow, you don't mess around, do you?"

Emily sat up and then leaned over towards Paige. "No, I don't. Is that a bad thing?"

Paige shook her head vehemently. "Not at all. That question just came out of nowhere, I guess."

"I figured we should continue doing things tonight that aren't usually reserved for a first date," Emily explained.

Paige reacted to that statement by raising both her eyebrows at a suddenly blushing Emily. She had to stop herself from saying anything to further embarrass the other girl, even though she was very amused.

"Not that!" Emily exclaimed loudly when she realize how Paige had misinterpreted her statement. Her cheeks got even redder.

"Uh, Em," Paige started while stifling a hearty laugh. Paige was even more smitten with Emily now that the other girl seemed so off kilter. "What exactly are you trying to say?" Paige really had tried not to mortify Emily further, but the more flustered Emily became, the cuter she was to Paige.

Emily furrowed her brow at Paige. "I'm already going to pay you back for buying dinner. Don't make me add anything else to the list."

Paige set her bottle down and put her hands up. "I'll be good, I promise." As much fun as teasing Emily was, she didn't to cross a line and really upset the other girl.

"As I was saying," Emily started in a mildly stern tone, "we're already doing things differently, why not continue that tradition?"

"What did you have in mind?" Paige asked. Even though her intentions were innocent, it didn't stop her question from coming out suggestively.

If Emily noticed, she didn't say anything. "Why don't we ask each other questions that we'd never normally ask on a date—especially a first date?"

Paige wasn't sure how to react. This was an interesting idea but, at the same time, it was idea that made her nervous. But she wasn't about to back down, even in the face of not knowing exactly where Emily was headed with these questions. She had taken more than one chance tonight and things had worked out. She didn't see any reason why that streak couldn't continue. "So basically you're suggesting we play Truth or Dare without the dare part?"

"I hadn't really thought about it like that," Emily laughed. She had finally stopped blushing.

"Okay. Let's play," Paige said, looking right at Emily.

Emily turned fully on her side so she had a good view of Paige. She let her eyes rake their way up Paige's body. She wasn't subtle about it either. "Good, because you still haven't answered my question.

Paige swallowed hard. Emily held her gaze before she returned to how she had been lying down before. "Oh right, the question."

"You're stalling."

Paige had to laugh. Just when she had started to feel more at ease, Emily challenged her and put her on the hot seat. Admittedly, Paige wasn't complaining. She was really liking this bold version of Emily, who was quickly bringing her out of her comfort zone. It was thrilling.

Besides, Paige needed to be challenged. Hanna had served a similar role for her, even if her friend had the tendency to go too far. Paige had a strong personality and having a person in her life that matched that strength only served her for the better.

Seeing as Paige still hadn't answered, Emily decided to try a different tactic. "You're successful, you have a reasonably good personality…" Paige rolled her eyes at Emily but didn't interrupt. "…You're funny, smart and pretty easy on the eyes. Why are you still on the market?"

Paige could feel that her face was on fire. She had a hard time believing that Emily thought those things about her. It wasn't that she was trying to be modest; she just didn't see what Emily saw. "You sure know how to give a girl a compliment."

"And you sure know how to deflect something you don't want to deal with," Emily countered. She was clearly having fun putting Paige on the spot.

"I don't know." Paige started to pick at the label of her beer bottle. "Well, I haven't been looking to date in a long time, so that's probably the reason." She stole a look over at Emily and the other girl clearly wanted more of an answer. "Most of the girls I've dated have given me a hard time about my job. They tell me that I prioritize work over them." Paige shrugged, "And they're probably right. But when an animal comes in that needs my help, how can I say no?"

Emily seemed to ponder what Paige had said. "I don't think you should have to say no at all. If something is important to you, it should be important to the person you're dating—especially a job like yours."

Paige liked that response from Emily. She liked it a lot. That being said, she didn't want to fully mislead Emily into thinking that the responsibility for being unattached lay solely at the feet of the few girls she'd tried to date. "It's not all their fault. I probably used work to avoid things when I didn't have to."

Paige briefly worried that revealing so much to Emily this early into things was not the best idea. On the other hand, what was the point in delaying the truth? Emily had been the one to ask and Paige didn't want to start things out with Emily in half-truths. She'd already convinced herself once that Emily could never like her and then found out that she'd been wrong. She didn't want to make that mistake a second time.

Once again, Emily didn't respond right away. She appeared to be considering Paige's answer thoughtfully. "I think a lot of people are like that." When Paige gave Emily a puzzled look, Emily explained further. "When something doesn't feel right, it's easy to find excuses for things not to work. But if it does feel right, you'll find a way." Emily took a sip of beer and then continued speaking. "Anyone who sees your devotion to animals as a character flaw or as something to change about you, isn't worth your time."

Paige wasn't sure how she wasn't supposed to fall for Emily more than she had already when the other girl said words like that to her. "Your turn then," Paige said, sounding relieved. "Why aren't you seeing anyone?"

"I spent so much time focused on swimming that dating was always put aside," Emily explained.

But Paige wasn't going to let Emily get away with half an answer, just like she hadn't been allowed to do. "And…"

"Wait, why did I suggest this game again?" Emily joked. Paige wasn't the only one who liked to avoid what she didn't want to discuss. "After my dream about making the Olympic team was over, I was in a bad place. I didn't want to get out of bed or talk to anyone. It was hard, you know?" Paige nodded. She understood exactly what it was like to be in a bad place. "Then I got lucky. I heard about the opening to coach the Sharks and it gave me something to look forward to and a goal to focus on. It got me motivated again."

"I'm sorry that—"

"Don't be sorry," Emily said quickly. "I'm in a good place now. Really. Moving back to Rosewood was the perfect fresh start for me. I met Daisy and she's changed my life a lot even though she hasn't been in it that long."

Paige watched as Emily looked to debate in her head whether she should go on.

"Plus," Emily briefly squeezed her eyes shut as if she was working up the courage to keep going. "Plus, I met you, again." Emily let out a nervous laugh. "I know I shouldn't be saying that out loud because we're only hours into our first date, but we've already established that dating rules weren't meant for either of us."

Paige wasn't put off by what Emily had just told her. "I feel the same way," Paige admitted bashfully.

Emily let out a soft sigh, but she didn't look like anything was wrong. In fact, she looked like Paige had said exactly the right thing. "Breaking the rules is fun, isn't it?"

Emily smiled. Paige wondered briefly if there would ever be a time when being near Emily didn't cause her heart to flutter like it was right then. She wished she could bottle this moment up for when she was having a bad day. "Are you going to ask me more questions, or is this game of yours over after just one round?"

"Oh, this isn't over—not by a long shot," Emily replied. The way Emily's voice dropped an octave when she had spoken sent a rush of excitement up and down Paige's spine. Emily tapped her finger against her chin. She looked to be deep in concentration. "But how about you take the reigns this time? I'll let you ask the first question."

"Oh, you'll let me?" Paige asked sarcastically. She wracked her brain for a suitable question to ask Emily. She was enjoying how playful the night was at that moment, but that didn't stop a question from entering her mind. And now that it was there, she couldn't think of anything else. She inhaled deeply and then decided to just go for it. "Do you think we missed out not telling each other about our feelings in high school?"

If Emily was put out by the question, she kept her feelings hidden. Paige hoped that she hadn't derailed how well the night was going.

After what felt like an eternity, Emily responded. "It's rare for any relationship in high school to work out for the long term. So maybe it's a good thing that we never said anything back then." One of the many things that Paige liked about Emily was how thoughtful Emily was and how she didn't jump to conclusions. There was only room for one person like that if things between them progressed. "I was dealing with coming out, you weren't out, how would that have even worked?"

Paige nodded in response. Everything that Emily said made sense. That didn't stop her from wondering about it – even after hearing Emily's answer.

"I would much rather have waited all these years for this chance with you than ruin what could have been," Emily said quietly.

The thumping in Paige's heart intensified. She looked over at Emily and held the other girl's gaze. Whatever doubts Paige had about keeping her feelings from Emily hidden for so long all but disappeared. Emily was right. Who even knew what would have happened back then. Paige was a mess and didn't even know who was as a teenager. Now was an entirely different story.

Silently, both girls sat up. They swung their legs over the chairs they had been lying in so they were looking right at one another. It was Emily who made the first move. She leaned into Paige and connected their lips together.

This kiss – their second kiss – wasn't about anything other than reconfirming the connection that both of them felt to one another. What that connection would ultimately turn out to be remained unknown. And that was OK with them.

Emily rested her forehead against Paige's after the kiss had ended. Her eyes were closed and Paige could feel Emily's warm breath on her face. "I was going to ask for a kiss as my question," Emily whispered.

Paige smiled and then she moved to kiss the tip of Emily's nose. For as many times as Emily challenged Paige or put her on the spot, Paige felt incredibly safe with Emily. She trusted her, and she hoped Emily felt that, too.

Their eyes lingered on one another for a few seconds and then Emily and Paige returned to their chairs, staring back up at the stars.

Emily broke the silence. "Let's make this round a bit easier. What's a hidden talent of yours?"

Immediately a rush of inappropriate responses flooded into Paige's mind. There were a multitude of ways she could answer that question that would probably unintentionally make Emily and her blush. So she very deliberately chose the safer path. "I can juggle," she said.

Emily's head swiveled quickly in Paige's direction. "Seriously?"

Paige nodded. "It's a little strange, I know, but I taught myself how to do it as a kid."

"I never would have expected that answer from you," Emily said, she was clearly amused. "You should juggle for me right now."

"Sorry, I don't perform until the second date," Paige replied. It was only after she had finished speaking she realized exactly what it was that had implied. Her cheeks burned under Emily's surprised and shocked gaze.

"I will take that under advisement." Emily sounded like she was trying not to laugh, but there was something in her tone that set Paige's insides on fire. Emily must have felt pity for Paige because she didn't try and press things further. "Your turn."

Paige felt flustered and her brain wasn't capable of functioning at full strength. She couldn't think of anything to say except. "Uh, same question."

"It's hard to narrow my talents down to just one," Emily joked. She winked at Paige, which allowed Paige to relax. Paige wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that Emily seemed to know her so well already. "I can turn my eye lids inside out."

"What?" Paige shrieked. She was completely surprised by Emily's response. "That's disgusting. Don't show me!"

"Don't worry, I won't," Emily promised. She waited a few seconds and then continued speaking. "But just know, that some time in the future, when you least expect and if you've done something to annoy me, I will absolutely show that to you."

Paige would have mustered a suitable response if she wasn't so distracted by how Emily had referred to the future and Paige was very much in it. She couldn't remember ever feeling this happy. "You will do no such thing."

"Ready for more questions?" Emily asked.

Paige scrunched up her nose. "I'm not sure I can handle more questions if I'm going to find out anything else disturbing about you."

Emily responded with a swat of her hand to Paige's shoulder and a chuckle. "Listen, we can stop this any time you want. It's fine if you can't handle it."

Those were fighting words to Paige. "I can handle anything you can throw at me, Fields."

"We'll see about that, won't we?" Emily smirked.


End file.
